Bouryokudan Heartstrings
by Nicolah2009
Summary: In a world of hate, guns, and groups called Bouryokudan mafia, Sakura and her longtime boyfriend Naruto find themselves in a tangle of troubles when the mob lord Orochimaru makes a move on Itachi's territory. SasuXSakuXNaruo and other couples
1. Chapter 1

**Okay. This is my NEW story that I've been writing for a while and just couldnt' wait to post it so here it is. I know my usual reviewers will enjoy reading it, and I hope some new readers will like it, too. Here's a full summary:**

In a world made of guns, fighting, and groups called Bouryokudan (mafia), there will always be twists and turns for the worst, and for the better. It's no different for Haruno Sakura, whose longtime boyfriend, Uzumaki Naruto, works for Konoha Bouryokudan's leader, Uchiha ITachi, the brother of Sakura's and Naruto's old friend, Sasuke. Although Sakura is in love with Naruto, she knows that her love for Sasuke lingers, and grows stronger every day. Orochimaru, leader of Otogakure's Bouryokudan, makes a move on Itachi's territory, placing Sasuke and Sakura and Naruto in too close of a proximity. This story takes twists and curves and turns that you wouldn't believe possible in a world of hate, gangs, violence, friends, and love.

**Ironically, Much Love**

**Nicola**

* * *

Uchiha Itachi thrummed his fingers on the sleek, wooden surface of his desk, lost in thought as he glared at the telephone to his right. He'd just received a very displeasing, and somewhat terrifying phone call from a man who was not right in the head, in his opinion. The disturbed man on the other line had uttered his threat only a few moments ago, and warned Itachi about the impending doom on his city. But Itachi had yet to act on those comments. Sure, his better sense had told him to call in more than just the two men he had, to alert all of his loyals of the foreshadowing hovering over their lives and the lives of those they loved, but it just wasn't in his nature to make a big deal about something that he wasn't quite sure was creditworthy.

The man who was trying to intimidate Itachi was named Orochimaru, a slick, twisted excuse for a man. Hell, he couldn't even be classified as _human_ in Itachi's book. The snake-like mobster may have strange characteristics, a few unnerving habits, and a tendency to enjoy the company of small boys (according to common interest), but he wasn't a force to be reckoned with. His connections were almost as powerful as Itachi's own, and that rocked the Uchiha man's boat to no end. Orochimaru was as far off his rocker as anyone could get.

There was a knock on the heavy doors several feet in front of Itachi's desk, and he looked up from his brooding, his black eyes irritated but somehow strangely expressionless, and shook the hair from his eyes. "Come in," he said, his voice deep, dangerous, ominous. But the two men behind the door wouldn't take it as such a warning. They knew their boss too well.

With a nearly silent creak, the door opened, and in came a man with long, cocoa-colored hair and oddly white eyes, followed by a second man with blonde, spiky hair and vibrant blue eyes. The blonde one came and stood to Itachi's left in front of the desk, and the white-eyed man took the left side.

"What's up, boss?" the blonde man asked, and Itachi fought back the shudder at the sight of his loyal's goofy grin. Did he ever take anything seriously? No, but he was a key player in the sick game of chess those involved in this business found themselves in. Uzumaki Naruto could handle ten men at once in a fight, all three times his size. But that was the amazing thing about it—no one expected the wiry, loud-mouthed man to have any fight in him at all, much less being capable of taking down the strongest of opponents. That was why Itachi kept him around—for his strength, as well as his intelligence.

"I just received a phone call," Itachi started off slowly, leaning back in his chair and folding his hands while his eyes raked over Naruto and moved to the white-eyed man who had so far kept completely silent. Hyuga Neji, a man from the infamous Hyuga clan with the strange, talented eyes. Yes, Neji was a brilliant strategist, as well as a forceful opponent. In the world of gangs and mobs and territory wars, having a man like Neji on your side was important. He was smart, quick on his feet, and quick with his mind. And his eyes…they could see for miles and miles in every direction, even directly behind him.

"Yeah?" Naruto pressed, shoving one hand into his pocket and frowning. Itachi smiled inwardly. His loyal was beginning to get interested, and serious.

"It was from Otogakure," he said, and pursed his lips. Naruto's brow furrowed and Neji narrowed his dangerous eyes. Itachi smirked. He was glad he'd decided to bring these two into his office. They would pass the message along to only those who needed to know about it. "Orochimaru is threatening to make a move on our territory."

Naruto bristled, but Neji laid a hand on his shoulder and said, "What were his reasons and conditions?"

Neji always got straight to the point. Itachi leaned forward again and placed his folded hands on his desk, staring straight into Neji's eyes. "He wanted us to call off the charges the city is pressing on him, simply because Ino's associate is heading the case." Itachi snorted, a gesture so unlike him that Naruto stared at him with one eyebrow raised. "I told him that he had better get a damn good lawyer because we weren't going to do anything about it."

"So he claimed he was going to make a move on Konoha unless we forced the city to drop the charges?" Naruto growled, and Itachi knew he was thinking of his long-time girlfriend, Haruno Sakura. Itachi nodded.

"Yes." He stood, moving around the desk so that he was on level with his two loyals. "He threatened that he would start the war, as he referred to it, by the end of next week." As the words left his mouth, Itachi repressed a shiver crawling up his spine. It was not one of annoyance, nor fear, but one of anger and hatred. There was a specific person he was not looking forward to having to come face-to-face with if Orochimaru decided to creep into his territory. The little pest…that little brat…how dare he betray him like that…

He cleared his throat to clear his mind and glared at Neji. "I want you to alert Anko and Jiraiya immediately, and have them come see me." He turned his glower to Naruto, who just glared right back. "Bring me Asuma, Sai, Ino, and, most importantly, your old sensei. Yes, Naruto, I want to see Kakashi," he added at Naruto's shocked, widened eyes. He lifted his eyebrows and glanced at the door, dismissing them without a word.

The two men turned and headed for the door, Naruto shaking his head as it shut behind them. Itachi walked over to the window on the far side of the room, pulled back the curtain, and sighed. The view of his spacious lawn from this window was amazing, but it didn't strike him as beautiful—it never had. Since moving into this house, since taking over the business, he hadn't had time to think about all the pretty things in life. There was only one thing he was concerned about.

Kill, or be killed.



"Ugh," Haruno Sakura muttered, slapping her hand down on top of another huge pile of papers that had just been dropped off on her desk. She had become a doctor because of her love of the job, of her need to help people, not because she enjoyed doing paperwork! But that was the night shift, and she figured that since she'd volunteered to work late, she'd just have to such it up and get over it. But still!

Muttering under her breath about needed a coffee break, she set her pencil on the papers, stood up from her desk, and dragged her feet towards the hospital lounge. It was already somewhere around one in the morning, the hospital was as slow as always at this hour, and the only ones on duty were herself and her senior surgeon, Tsunade. The large woman was probably in her office, putting off her work like she normally did, which meant Sakura would only have more on her plate when she came back later on this afternoon for another shift.

Sakura sighed, plucking a cup off of the shelf and placing it under the coffee dispenser. She really hoped that the coffee wasn't cold—cold coffee did nothing to spike her nerves at this late an hour. When she pressed the brim of the porcelain cup to her lips, and let the coffee brush against them, she sighed, relieved. It was nice and hot. Thank goodness.

On her way back to the office she normally shared with Hinata and Shizune, she vaguely thought about what Naruto was up to right now. She shivered at the thought of what he could be doing, considering his job and all. Of course, she wouldn't say it aloud that he was a mobster for the Konoha Bouryokudan, which literally meant the Konoha Mafia. There were several other gangs like the one in Konoha; in fact, there was one for almost every village, as far as Sakura was informed. Naruto didn't talk about his work very much—he preferred to keep her out of it as much as possible.

She sighed again and sat down at her desk, looking balefully at the ominous stack of paperwork. She had been together with Naruto for nearly two and a half years now, and their relationship was pure bliss. They could talk about anything, and had even been building up on actually mentioning their old friend in normal conversation. Sakura shivered at the thought of their former teammate. Uchiha Sasuke.

He'd run off years ago to work for the Otogakure Bouryokudan, to work for Orochimaru. It had stung everyone in the city that one of their own, one of their elite, possible ANBU-squad member had betrayed them to work for the biggest enemy out there. Sakura still got pains in her heart when she thought about his betrayal. She'd liked him for the longest time. But she didn't like him now. No, she was in a committed relationship with Naruto, not Sasuke. And she wasn't going to let herself think in any other way.

Picking up her pen again, and pushing all thoughts of Sasuke away, she set to filling out and signing each individual piece of paper. She scribbled down information from the computer records onto the forms in a painstakingly slow process. Why Tsunade insisted on having everything written down and on the computer, she didn't know. They could just print it out and save everything in files; even make twelve copies of it if it made Tsunade feel better. But no, Tsunade would be Tsunade, regardless.

Sakura, after about ten more minutes of slaving over paperwork, stood up with her empty coffee cup in hand and walked to the door. But before she could reach the knob, she twisted her foot sideways and plummeted to the floor. She felt the cup crack and break under her hands as she hit the ground, and felt the sharp sensation of the jagged pieces cutting into the skin on her palm. She cursed, sitting up and holding her bleeding right hand with her left. Just her luck to get hurt right when she decided to go home. She'd swear to anyone that Tsunade had somehow placed a voodoo curse on her or something. Every time she tried to skip out on work, something came up and forced her to stay and help out.

She stood shakily to her feet—for her ankle was throbbing painfully and it hurt like hell to put any weight on it—and hobbled down the hall. She'd have to go find Tsunade to help her with this, because she would not be able to stand for much longer on her ankle, and balancing on one foot while numbing her hand and stitching it up was not in her capabilities. She saw Tsunade's office door looming just ahead, and increased her hobbling pace, trying to get there before she'd collapse. She felt her ankle pulsate angrily, and gasped, picking her foot up off the floor and hopping the rest of the way to the office.

"Tsunade!" she yelled, knocking hard on the door. "I need your help, please!"

The big-breasted woman opened her door with a grin on her face. "Of course, my clumsy little Sakura. What did you do this time?"

Sakura wrinkled her nose and held up her hand. "I tripped. And I fell on my coffee mug. And my ankle's sprained." She could tell how badly her ankle was damaged just by how much it hurt. She had been able to walk on it for a little while, which meant that it wasn't broken, so it was probably just a bad sprain.

"Alright!" Tsunade said cheerfully, and helped Sakura into her office. There was a small medical table on one side, with three shelves full of supplies beside it. A huge desk was pushed up against one wall and the desk light was glowing brightly over all the papers and folders there. Sakura loved that Tsunade's office was so big, but she was mildly jealous that the senior surgeon didn't have to share and office with anyone. Not that she didn't like Hinata and Shizune—she adored her fellow doctor and nurse! But it would be nice to have some space to herself.

Tsunade sat her on the desk and dug around on one of the shelves until she found a syringe and a small bottle of a numbing solution. Sakura, fully trusting in Tsunade to take care of her, looked down at her lap while the older woman worked on her hand. Naruto would be worried when he came to pick her up later tonight, she knew, because once again a bandage would be wrapped around her hand. Well, her hand wasn't always injured. She hurt her arms, too, and her feet, and her head, and her legs, and…basically everything on a regular basis. Being clumsy was just part of life for her. Naruto had learned to live with it so far, but in his line of "work" he couldn't help but worry. What if one of the enemy gangsters got to her? What if they hurt her and used her as bait for the Konoha Bouryokudan?

Naruto worried to much, she told herself firmly. She would be just fine. There wasn't a moment when she was by herself. Tsunade, Hinata (who was conveniently Neji's cousin), Naruto, or one of Naruto's "work buddies" was around at the house or the hospital or wherever she happened to be. Apparently, he didn't trust her to be alone. Or, as she preferred to think, he didn't trust those people who were his so-called enemies. Yes, it was more comforting to think that Naruto loved her too much to let anything happen to her. She smiled quietly, gentle tugging sensations pulsing lightly through her hand, and her long-time boyfriend's face flitted into her mind. Naruto…handsome, exuberant, dangerous Naruto.

"Done."

Sakura looked up at Tsunade, who was putting all her supplies away. She held her hand up in front of her eyes and saw that it was bandaged. She could feel the stitches in her skin, but she'd had to deal with them so often they didn't bother her. Grinning, she hopped down from the table, wanting to give Tsunade a quick hug, and yelped at the pain that shot through her ankle. Of course, forget about the more important injury. At this rate, if she kept trying to walk on a sprained limb, she'd worsen the sprain so much she'd never get out of the house again!

Tsunade set her back on the table, tsking disapprovingly, and took off Sakura's shoe and sock. She frowned, reached for a roll of gauze, and set to work. Sakura barely caught a glimpse at the bruised skin before the soft white fabric was wrapped firmly around the top of her ankle. She winced; Tsunade was pulling it very tight, and although Sakura was aware it was necessary to set it correctly, it still hurt. She watched as the older woman tied off the gauze, grabbed a smaller roll of stretchy tan wrap and started circling Sakura's ankle and heel. Once it was tightened to Tsunade's satisfaction and pinned in place, Tsunade rummaged around in the long closet to one side of her office and resurfaced with a set of crutches.

Sakura groaned at the sight of them, thinking that Naruto would have a heart attack if he saw her on those. Reluctantly she took them, situated them under her arms, and set off towards the door. "Thanks so much, Tsunade!" she called over her shoulder.

"No problem," Tsunade answered, and then Sakura was in the hallway and heading for her office. All she had to do was lock up, go out the side door, and Naruto would be there with a hug and a kiss all for her. She smiled at the thought, felt that warm and tingly feeling creep up into her chest, and awkwardly dug for her keys. Naruto loved her so much sometimes it hurt. And she loved him back, just as dearly. There was nothing that could come between her and her Naruto.

She locked her office door after making sure everything was shut down and shut off, tucked her keys back into her pocket, and hobbled down the halls until she reached the side door. This particular exit led right into the dark alley on the right side of the hospital, but Sakura wasn't worried. Waiting right outside that door would be Naruto, or at the very least one of his "buddies" that she only half trusted. They were still gangsters, after all, and even if they had orders not to hurt her, they could do anything they wanted and get away with it. Well, maybe they'd get away with the law, but not with Naruto, she thought with a smirk. They'd get their asses handed to them on a silver platter if any of them even imagined hurting her.

She clumsily opened the door, hobbled out, and shut it behind her. When she turned, expecting to see a blonde-haired man with a goofy, love-struck grin, her jaw dropped in surprise. A tall man with onyx eyes and just as black hair stood leaning against the side of the hospital next to the door, his expression bored, his arms crossed lazily over his chest. She swallowed hard, thinking of all the things Naruto had taught her about attacking enemies, whom he'd written down on a piece of paper for her in a specific order, from most to least dangerous. And the man she saw before her was second on that list, the second dangerous one.

Okay, she told herself silently, she knew how to do this. Her crutches would help her—they'd act like an extension of her arm that she could use to whack at the man without having to move too close to him. She would scream, Tsunade would come running, and the strong woman would beat him to a pulp, if she could get near enough to. But as the man stepped into the light, and Sakura felt a scream rising up in her throat, her voice cracked and died in surprise. The resemblance was amazing, and yet…it wasn't him.

She breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed. The man, one of Itachi's men, chuckled deeply. She scowled and hobbled a few inches so she was facing away from him. But he moved up next to her and sighed exaggeratedly, as if keeping pace with a cripple was just too slow and boring for him.

"I was told to pick you up," Sai said, hands shoved into his pockets but his black eyes scanning the sidewalk and street for any possible dangers. Sakura ground her teeth at his tone; he made it sound like he was an older brother having to pick up the annoying little sister from school, and that it was such a chore and he had much better things to do. Which he probably thought he did. Ugh.

"Whatever," she snapped, and doddered faster, trying to stay ahead of Sai. But he matched her pace easily, and sighed again. She tried to bite her tongue, but her bitter words came out anyway. "Will you _shut_ _up_?"

Sai looked over at her, mildly taken aback, and shook his head. "Nope." He made a popping sound on the "p" that only made her scowl even deeper. Why did Naruto have to chose tonight of all nights to have a job to do? What had Itachi put him up to that was more important than her? She knew she sounded selfish and pouting, but right now it was all she could do. She couldn't think of anything else that would be fitting for this particular situation. Really, who would want to be stuck walking with Sai for the three blocks to her little house? No one, that's who.

She spat angrily on the ground and turned her head away from Sai. She wasn't going to look at him. As far as she was concerned, Sai was just an arrogant, annoying prick who needed to be put in his place. But his high rank in Itachi's business put him in a position where he couldn't be touched.

Home was only a few more minutes away, she firmly told herself, and straightened her shoulders as much as the crutches would allow. She'd put up with Sai for that much longer. But only till they got home.



Kakashi rubbed his face as he poured himself a cup of milk in the kitchen of his small, one-bedroom apartment. It was around midnight, three hours off of his shift, and he was still unable to sleep. Insomnia had plagued him for the past week, and it didn't seem like it was going to go away anytime soon. And not even warm milk—which had used to put him to sleep like that—could place him in the deep slumber he so longed for. His instincts were telling him something with this sleeplessness, he knew, but he was getting tired of waiting around for the problem to show itself. If something important didn't happen soon, tonight, even, then he was going to see a shrink or some other doctor tomorrow during his lunch hour.

Being the head of the Konoha ANBU squad meant countless hours on the job, danger beyond anyone's imagination, and dozens of enemies you make merely because of the mask and vest you wore. It wasn't as if Kakashi got some sort of sick pleasure at shooting down a criminal or slamming a young fugitive up against the nearest wall to do one of those random drug checks that were never random, but tipped off by some good doing citizen. He hated his job sometimes, but deep down he loved what he did for a living. Number one, it paid well. Number two, he got to save people and try to make up for…well…something he wasn't comfortable thinking, much less vocalizing. No one knew the real reason he had joined ANBU and worked his way up to the highest rank possible. They all assumed it had something to do with his determination and passion and yadda yadda yadda…

He had just decided to give up on going to sleep and watching some television when he heard someone knocking on his door. Surprised, and warily wondering who could be calling upon him at this hour, he walked through the spacious living room and to the door. He peeked through the peep hole, sighed, shook his head, and opened the door. He leaned against the frame and said hollowly, "What do you want, Naruto?"

Uzumaki Naruto had once been his student, a trainee who also had dreams of joining the ANBU some day. So Kakashi had willingly trained him and his best friend, whose name should not be mentioned, during their senior year of high school and up until they were twenty. Well, he'd trained Naruto until he was twenty, and the time came to make the decision about joining ANBU. The other trainee had made his decision a year and a half previous the time of Naruto's decision, and Naruto chose a similar path, having received an offer from the local Bouryokudan leader, Itachi.

And now there Naruto stood, looking sheepish and a little irritated in Kakashi's doorway. The gray-haired man narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips, bored already. If Naruto wanted to say something, he'd better say it quick, because patience wasn't common with sleep-deprived people. And even though Kakashi could feel something in his stomach going wild with obvious glee, he ignored it and continued to glare at his old student. He'd never forgiven Naruto for doing what he'd done, for joining Itachi. At least he wasn't as mad at Naruto as he was at his old friend. He swore that if he ever saw that kid again he'd throttle him.

"I've come bearing a…message," Naruto started hesitantly, looking evenly at his ex-sensei without a hint of being nervous. But Kakashi knew him too well, and even though he and Itachi had toughened the young man up, he knew Naruto was nervous and fighting to keep from fidgeting.

"From whom?" Kakashi wanted to know, still leaning against the door frame. He crossed his arms over his chest. Naruto had better get to the point. He had a pretty good idea of who the message was from, but he'd rather have Naruto spit it out. Just to spite him.

"You know who from," Naruto muttered, glaring now. Kakashi chuckled darkly and ran a hand through his unnaturally spiky hair.

"Oh, I don't think I do," he replied smugly, a smirk playing on his lips. He watched with amusement as Naruto's glowering increased tenfold and the enthusiastic man clenched his fists in anger. He didn't want to have to say it, and Kakashi knew this would probably go on for a while before Naruto's stubbornness broke.

"Fine," Naruto snapped, much to Kakashi's surprise. A few years ago, it would've taken hours and hours for Naruto to admit to anything, the stupid, stubborn buffoon. Stupid in more ways than Kakashi cared to count. "Itachi-san wants to see you, alright? Something about Otogakure or whatever, but I'm not supposed to tell you anything until you're in his office. Got it? Alright, now get dressed and let's go." For Kakashi was still in his boxers with no shirt on.



Kakashi honestly couldn't believe it.

The great, amazingly powerful mobster Uchiha Itachi wanted to see him. In his private office, of course, in his humongous mansion in the better, richer part of Konoha. What an honor. Cheh, yeah, right. To be truthful, Kakashi had never wanted to go anywhere near Itachi after the man had stolen one of his students. And now that he was walking up the elegant stone path through the landscaped front yard towards the large, double front doors, he wanted nothing more than to turn back. So what if his instincts had told him this was a good idea? He didn't want to be there!

The three-story house loomed ahead of him, and he took in the sight with wide eyes. It was absolutely gorgeous, and very, very, very intimidating. He suppressed a shudder and followed Naruto through the big doors. Naruto seemed to know his way around here pretty well, he mused as he was led through a spacious, lavishly decorated living room and down a side hallway. At the end of the hallway rested two large wooden doors, polished until they gleamed. Itachi's office, obviously. He paused next to his old student as Naruto knocked on the door.

A low, sharp, irritated voice called out, "Come in. You're late," and they stepped through the doorway.

Pacing, his hands clasped behind his back, was Uchiha Itachi. His long black hair cascaded down his back in a lengthy ponytail, his black eyes were focused on the carpet he was walking along, and his whole demeanor screamed how dangerous and lethal he was. Kakashi was mildly intimidated, but he hid it well. He knew that Itachi could have him knocked off like that, but he refused to let it worry him. Naruto wasn't so cruel as to allow his boss to kill his old sensei. Right?

Itachi stopped his pacing and glared angrily at Naruto. Kakashi expected Naruto to flinch, but the blonde just glared right back and took a step back so that Kakashi was closer to the mob leader. Kakashi shot a glance over his shoulder at Naruto, who smirked back at him, and sighed. Typical Naruto.

He turned his head back to face Itachi, and was surprised to find him closer than he'd been a second ago. He kept his composure though, looking evenly into Itachi's eyes. Something red flashed behind the black color, giving Itachi a seemingly demon-like appearance. Great, this guy was even into using contacts to make himself appear meaner. He really was a pistol, wasn't he?

"What did you want, Itachi?" Kakashi asked snippily, and received a nasty look from the mobster. Naruto hit him in the back, muttering, "Be respectful" in his ear. He rolled his eyes.

"I'm sure Naruto babbled everything to you, or else you wouldn't have come," Itachi started, resuming his pacing.

"Nope." Itachi looked at Kakashi in bored surprise. "He only told me it had something to do with the Sound. That's it. Enough to peak my interest, and I wasn't going to be getting any sleep anyway. So I came. Now what is it that is so important the lowly head of ANBU had to know?" Yeah, he knew he was being rude, extra rude in fact, but he didn't have any compassion for Itachi. They never had been allies, much less friends, and never would be as far as he was concerned.

"Well then," Itachi muttered, and looked at Naruto with an unfathomable expression. Kakashi couldn't decipher it, but Naruto apparently could, because he laughed haughtily and walked out of the room. Itachi turned his gaze back to Kakashi. "I received a phone call from the Otogakure Bouryokudan leader. I think you know him, Orochimaru, am I correct?" Kakashi's silence was answer enough. "I thought you did. And we both have a bigger grudge against him than we have against each other. He took something from both of us that we were not willing to lose. So I felt that I was inclined to tell you about it.

"Orochimaru threatens to start a territory war on Konoha if the charges the city is pressing against him are not dropped. I've called in my lawyer, but she doesn't want to be here until at least eight." His voice became a sneer as he talked of his lawyer, and it didn't go unnoticed. Kakashi was watching Itachi's every move. "Whatever. The main problem is that I have no influence over the law in this city, and no, I'm not implying that you do. But you need to know, because your entire force is in danger if Orochimaru makes a move on Konoha. I know that my men can handle it, but the men from the Sound are very, very dangerous. They have no compassion in them whatsoever, while I, on the other hand, encourage my loyals to at least feel a little bit for their targets to better themselves in the decisions they'll have to make. But if I instruct them to be ruthless, they will. That's the difference between us. And it's going to come into play when Orochimaru makes his move."

"Wait a minute," Kakashi said, holding up his hand. "Before, you said 'if' Orochimaru attacks. Now you're saying 'when'?"

"Yes." Itachi stopped pacing and came to stand directly in front of Kakashi, not a foot away. "It's only just occurred to me that nothing we can do is going to stop Orochimaru from trying to take over our village. It would only make it that much easier for him if the charges were blown off before he started his move." He sighed, and walked over to his desk, where he sat down and ran a hand over his face. "He's told me that one of his men is already in Konoha. Now, the only one I can think of him ever sending here is his lawyer, because the others would be easily struck down and killed because of the evidence against him. His lawyer, on the other hand, appears completely clean, legally, I mean. So you see why I need you in on this."

Kakashi nodded. He understood. If Orochimaru's lawyer was in town, that marked it as the first official move in this sick game of chess mobsters played. And that meant the ANBU would have more work on their hands if anything started going on. He was going to have a lot on his plate. But that wasn't the only reason Itachi had told him about Orochimaru's threat. It was because his former student now worked for Orochimaru, because his former student, Itachi's little brother, would be picking fights wherever and with whomever he saw fit. And Kakashi knew Uchiha Sasuke like the back of his hand, because he'd trained him and taught him everything knew.

"You may leave now." Itachi's brusque, short dismissal was all Kakashi needed to leave that room and get back out into the hallway. Naruto was waiting for him, and walked him outside to a waiting vehicle. The black, tinted-windowed car purred quietly at the top of the driveway, and Naruto waved Kakashi towards it.

"It's your ride," he muttered, and Kakashi took a step in its direction before turning back and looking steadily at Naruto.

He finally spoke, "What time is it, Naruto?"

"Almost two," Naruto answered after a quick glance at his watch.

"Ahh." Kakashi nodded slowly. "And what time does Sakura get off?"

A stricken look passed over Naruto's face before he took off running across the lawn, apparently heading for the hospital where he was supposed to have picked up Sakura half an hour ago. Kakashi chuckled lightly, and thought he heard Naruto holler over his shoulder, "Thanks, Kakashi-sensei!"



If there was anything in the world that Sakura wanted to see, it was what she was looking at. A grin spread across her face and she nearly dropped her crutches in her eagerness to get away from Sai and into the awaiting arms of her longtime boyfriend. Naruto was barreling towards her, his arms outstretched and an apologetic look on his face. She vaguely heard Sai scoff behind her, but she was too focused on hobbling to Naruto.

He caught her up and swung her around, obviously exuberant that he had caught her before she'd gotten home. Sakura's crutches fell to the ground and she flung her arms around his neck, refusing to let go. She kept one arm around his waist when he set her back down and looked disdainfully at the metal contraptions lying by Naruto's feet. He chuckled and leaned down to pick them up. She managed to balance without him for the two seconds it took him to retrieve the crutches and give them back to her. Sheepishly she tucked them under her arms and leaned her weight on them.

"Thank Kami you're here," she hissed under her breath. Naruto laughed. He knew how she felt about being escorted home by anyone other than him, and especially how much she detested being around Sai. The black-haired ninja was arrogant, irritating, and resembled a certain someone way too much for her taste.

"No problem," Naruto whispered back, and cleared his throat. His blue eyes rested on Sai, who had his arms crossed. "You're free to go do whatever someone in your high position does, Sai. Go on, I'll take care of her from here."

Sai glared, rolled his eyes, and turned down the street. Sakura didn't watch him walk away from them, but could only look at Naruto. His pale face glowed in the dim light the streetlamps offered, his blue eyes sparkling as they stared back at her. She grinned, he grinned back, and they started down the road towards their small house.

Naruto walked easily next to her, one hand in his pocket, the other protectively hovering behind her back in case she decided to trip again. "So what did you do to hurt yourself today?"

There was an edge to his voice Sakura didn't like, and she frowned. "I tripped and landed on my coffee mug, which cut my hand, and I twisted my ankle when I fell." She sighed. "And no, no one rigged the floor or anything or purposefully made my coffee mug extra sharp so it would cut deeper."

"I just have to be careful," Naruto said, slightly irritated. She knew why, too—because she was always rushing to remind him that enemy mobsters were not after her. Besides, she was quite capable of taking care of herself. So what if the Bouryokudan people carried guns and were trained in the martial arts? She had a knee, a fist, and a very, very loud scream. That was all she needed.

"I know, Naruto," she said quietly, looked up at him for a split second before returning to watching the ground. If she wasn't paying attention, she'd probably trip over a rock or something, and she was especially vulnerable on crutches.

Naruto smiled a little bit. "Yeah, but I can't help but worry. We got…a sort of a threat today, and I just want to make extra sure that you're alright. You know that I'm one of Boss's top men, and that anyone close to me is in definite danger. I mean, if we had a puppy, I'm sure they'd go after him."

Sakura laughed, but it was a nervous, hollow laugh. The only people who threatened the Konoha Bouryokudan were serious problems, serious mobsters. She could only think of one particular city, too, which would even imagine getting up in Itachi's face. But she was thankful that she had Naruto's protection. If anyone could stand up against enemies of Itachi's, it would be Naruto. She nudged his hand lightly with hers, still wrapped around the crutch.

"Maybe we should get a puppy. You know, for extra protection," she lightly teased, and Naruto chuckled.

"Yeah, okay." He laughed again, and she laughed with him, feeling a bit better now that the mood was lightened. Naruto reached up and brushed a lock of her pink hair out of her face. "You should be more careful, you know," he whispered. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

She flushed and tried to hide it by ducking her head. "I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you, either," she replied just as quietly. They were at the house now, and had stopped walking. "That's why I hate watching you leave in the morning, because I never know what's going to happen." She looked up at him, her green eyes pleading. "I just wish that you'd leave your job and get a normal one, like a lawyer or a banker or even a bagger at the Market. Anything but what you do now."  
"I know it worries you, sweetie," Naruto murmured consolingly as he opened the front door and helped her inside. "But it's what I do. It's what I chose to do with my life. And I do hope that you'll start understanding that." He looked down at her with those blue eyes of his, and she felt herself start to melt under his gaze. "I love you more than anything, Sakura, and I'll protect you with my own life. Okay?"

"Don't talk like that," she muttered as she hobbled into the kitchen, flipping the light on as she went. "It doesn't help, it just upsets me more."

Naruto gave a loud laugh as he followed her into the kitchen. He opened the fridge, dug around for a minute, and resurfaced with a carton of yogurt. After grabbing a spoon from the drawer, he started throwing the strawberry-flavored food into his mouth. Sakura watched with a sheepish smile on her face. Would Naruto ever learn manners? She highly doubted it. He would always be the way he was, and she loved him for it.

She yawned, and Naruto looked up, his carton of yogurt completely empty. He tossed the carton into the garbage, the spoon into the sink, and put his hands on her shoulders. "You're tired," he observed. "You've been at the hospital all day. Come on, we're getting you to bed little missy."

Giggling like a teenager, Sakura allowed him to awkwardly steer her down the hall and to their bedroom. He picked her up, the crutches dropping to the floor, and put her on the bed. She was still in her scrubs, since she hadn't had time to change, but she couldn't find the energy to get up until Naruto chucked a pair of pajama pants and one of his old t-shirts at her with the intention of telling her to change. She waved him out of the room, changed quickly, and called for him to come back in.

She crawled under the (of course) orange comforter, and Naruto lay next to her, draping his arm around her waist. She sighed, completely content at where she was, even with a nagging feeling in the back of her mind. Naruto had mentioned that someone was threatening Itachi, which meant that that person was an extremely villainous person. There was only one man that Sakura could think of who could be so daring and evil, and hers and Naruto's old friend had run off to join him years and years ago. She shivered, and Naruto pulled her closer, probably guessing what she was thinking about. Uchiha Sasuke's master was named Orochimaru, and if he was trying to make a move on Konoha, it wasn't going to be a pretty sight.

* * *

**trying to make these chapters long is gonna kill me, I swear. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it and please REVIEW!**

**Luv much**

**nicola**


	2. Chapter 2

**okay, here's chapter two. I really, really hate the fall season of school, beacuse we have so much crap going on. Meetings, testing, essays, research papers, and the holidays...geez, they could give us a break! Anyway, took me forever to write this, adn I promise, I won't write any more on this story until I update my other two. I swear!!!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own naruto, never will. **

**Luv,**

**Nicola**

* * *

Sakura woke up around noon to a room full of bright sunshine and loud knocking coming from her front door. She yawned, crawled out of bed, and took a step towards the hallway. She yelped in pain, wobbled unsteadily, and hit the floor with a smack. A groan escaped her lips as she pulled herself back onto her bottom and reached for the crutches sitting next to her bed. Of course, her ankle was sprained. She was going to need crutches to move around. She was such an idiot.

Once she was heaved onto the safe support of the metal crutches, she hollered as loud as she could that she would be there in a minute and started hobbling down the hall, completely ignoring a sticky note posted on the front of the television as she tottered past it, focused on getting rid of the loud banging that had woken her from her slumber. The banging had stopped, but was now replaced with the insistent ringing of the doorbell, and the chime rang in Sakura's ears as she reached for the doorknob.

"Cut it out!" she screeched, fumbling with the chain. Naruto had insisted on putting a chain on their door for extra protection, but it never seemed to agree with her. And in her groggy state, the chain was fighting her extra hard and she allowed a few profanities to slip out before she got it loose. With a sigh, she turned the knob and yanked the door open. Apparently, though, she'd underestimated the force with which she opened the door, and it hit her in the nose. She stumbled back a step, nearly losing her crutches.

She heard a light chuckle that she didn't immediately recognize and quickly tried to regain her balance and composure. Once she was steady on her feet, she blinked the tears from her eyes (she was _not_ crying, and besides, hitting your nose automatically made your eyes tear up), and focused to get a good look at the person standing in her doorway.

For a moment, she was utterly stunned, because never in her life would she have guessed that Yamanaka Ino would be looking at her with that smug grin on her face, her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes obstinate, as always. Sakura swallowed, blinked hard again, and took another look. Yup, she was still there. Tall, blond, skinny, pretty, blue-eyed Ino in all her lawyer glory. She had been Sakura's best friend in high school, and although Sakura still cared for her old friend, she detested her.

They were always at each others throats over little nothings, like Sasuke, for example. They'd both had crushes on him growing up, and it had gotten them nowhere but arguments and the loss of a good friendship. While Sakura struggled with the urge to scowl and the urge to welcome Ino into her home with a big grin, Ino heaved an exaggerated sigh and flipped her blonde ponytail over her shoulder.

"Well? Are you gonna let me in or not?" Sakura cringed at Ino's high-pitched voice, and wiggled aside to let her in. Ino surveyed the living room critically while Sakura shut the door, her blue eyes raking over everything. Sakura pursed her lips, hobbled towards the kitchen, and glanced back at Ino.

"Sorry, I just got up," she said as she walked into the kitchen. "Want some breakfast or…lunch, rather?" she added after glancing at the clock. "Umm…if I'd've known you were coming, I would've gotten up early and, well, gotten dressed." She looked down at her pajama pants and Naruto's t-shirt and flushed.

Ino came in, waving her hand dismissively. Dressed in a designer, tailored women's business suit, her hair stylishly pulled back into a ponytail, she looked like the million bucks she probably got paid for every hour someone was in her office. Sakura snorted and shoved her face into the open fridge. There wasn't much to eat, really, just some yogurt, milk, orange juice, oranges, tomatoes (why they had tomatoes, she would like to have known), apples, and…a box of cereal? She resurfaced holding the cold, cardboard box of cereal and looked curiously at it.

"Umm…Ino?"

"Hmm?" Ino answered, looking at her perfectly manicured nails.

"Why would there be a box of cereal in the fridge?" Sakura asked confusedly, shaking the box up and down. The cereal inside it seemed to be stuck together and hardly made a shaky noise. Ino came and stood beside Sakura, also gazing with raised eyebrows at the cereal.

"I…don't…know…" The two women looked at each other, Sakura snickered, Ino giggled, and they both burst out laughing. Sakura's sides heaved with the energetic chuckles. She hadn't laughed with Ino in a long time, and really, a box of cereal in the fridge was pretty damn funny. Probably it was just Naruto having another of his "moments" that occurred every so often. And having Ino there to witness it just made it all the better.

Their laughter calmed after a few minutes, and Sakura tried to dump out some frozen cereal into a bowl, but it only came out in a big, round clump. This was followed by more giggles as Sakura attempted to make the flakes soggy by pouring milk on them. So while the cereal was remolding itself back to its usual form, Sakura and Ino sat down at the kitchen table and leaned back in their chairs. Sakura rubbed her shoulders; walking around in crutches was really taking a toll on her muscles.

Ino nibbled on a stray flake of cereal and asked absently, "So why're you on crutches this time, Haruno?"

Unable to stop it, Sakura blushed as she replied, "I tripped."

"Well, duh," Ino scoffed, rolling her perfectly made up eyes. "You're always tripping over something. But what I mean is—what did you trip over this time? And how did you manage to hurt your hand in the process?"

So, rather sheepishly, Sakura retold the tale of her imminent demise at the hands of her coffee cup for the third time. She honestly expected the blonde woman to laugh and haughtily make fun of her, but Ino just sat quietly, listened, and actually seemed sympathetic. And Sakura couldn't have appreciated that any more than she did. It was great to have Ino sitting in her kitchen and acting like the friend she used to be.

Once Sakura's sad, embarrassing tale was through, Ino clicked her tongue and glanced at her watch. "Ugh. I forgot the time. I was supposed to be meeting my…client, like, four hours ago. He won't be happy."

"Umm…you're client can wait, if that's what you're hinting at," Sakura said suggestively, batting her eyes as innocently as possible. Ino shrugged.

"He could wait, but if I make him wait any longer, he'll cut my rather generous pay, and I won't be happy with it," Ino replied, standing up from the table. Sakura followed suit, much less gracefully, and hobbled behind Ino as they went into the living room.

"Who's your client?" Sakura wanted to know, honestly curious. If there was one person in the world who Ino wouldn't make wait any longer than she had to, and who gave her a steady pay, Sakura would like to know. Maybe she could offer to clean his house on weekends or something…

"Uchiha Itachi," Ino answered, and Sakura blanched. She should've known. The mobster, and the boss of her boyfriend, would have to be the one person who could pay Ino enough to keep the blonde interested. Sakura swallowed hard, imagining what Itachi would do if he knew she was the one who had kept Ino from coming to their meeting on time.

"Umm…why don't you go then?" she said, awkwardly opening the front door for Ino. "You don't want to keep him waiting!"

Ino laughed as she walked out. "He's not harmful or anything, promise! Oh, and if he comes looking for you, offer him a tomato sandwich and he'll be putty in your hands!"

Sakura was never so grateful to close the front door.

She sagged against it, wondering what sort of trouble she'd be in when Naruto came home. Surely Ino would blab on her, and Naruto would have some sort of message from his boss. But he wouldn't let Itachi harm her, not on his life! At least, she hoped not.

Gaining back her composure, she hobbled over to the couch and lay down, resting her head on the pillow. Sleep seemed like such a good thing right now…but a bright spot of yellow on the television screen caught her attention. She sat up, staring at the screen and at the sticky note plastered to the middle of it. Grabbing her crutches (again), she hobbled the four steps over to the television, picked off the note, and scanned it.

_Sakura,_

_I'm sorry, Boss needed to have a meeting with me and a few other guys this morning, so I had to leave before you got up. I promise I'll be back before dinner, and we can go out and do something. I swear. _

_Oh, and please, please, please, don't leave the house. I can't tell you why, but it would be very dangerous for you to do so. Don't worry about work—I got hold of Tsunade and she's agreed to let you have a few weeks off. _

_Love you,_

_Naruto_

Sakura paled. A few weeks off of work? They couldn't afford that! She had to go to work, sprained ankle or not. Her brow furrowed in determination, and she started creeping towards her bedroom. She was going to get dressed, hobble to work, and hobble around all day until all of her work was done, and then she could go home. Naruto would just have to pick her up like he normally did, that was final. She hauled her scrubs over her head with some difficulty, yanked on the matching pants, trying desperately not to wince at the pain in her ankle and her hand, and doddered down the hallway again. She tried not to think about her probably messy hair, her injured and bedraggled appearance, and the black bags under her eyes. Her passion was working for the hospital, and no matter what she was going there.

But a stubborn, angry throb pulsed through her ankle, and she collapsed onto the couch, which she had been trying to creep past, with a groan. Looks like Naruto was going to get his wishes, she thought bitterly, and got back up onto her crutches. She wasn't going anywhere today, at least, not until Naruto got home.

Once she'd changed out of her scrubs and into comfy pajamas, she walked into the kitchen and saw with disgust that she'd forgotten about the cereal. It was all soggy now, and no doubt the milk was spoiled. She dumped the useless mess into the disposal and flipped it on. The roaring filled her ears for the ten seconds she waited, then she turned the disposal off, grabbed an apple out of the bowl on the kitchen table, and went back into the living room. She settled herself in Naruto's chair, bit into the sweet fruit, and reached for the remote. She had to spend the rest of the afternoon somehow, didn't she?



Snake eyes glittered in the dim light this time of day, dusk, offered. The warlord of mobs took no care in turning any lamp or other source of light on, because he preferred it this way. Darkness…it was how he lived, how he worked, where he seethed in an angry silence over his defeats. But those defeats were rare, barely there, hardly occurring. No, not since the challenge with the Konoha ANBU had he even come close to being defeated. Damn that infernal city. Damn it to hell, where it should burn forever in the flames spawned by the devil himself.

A grin, a sadistic, disturbing grin crept across his face, and Lord Orochimaru, as he liked to be referred to as, allowed one small chuckle to escape his throat. It was a strange, stomach-turning sound, and those guards who stood outside the door inwardly cringed. Orochimaru traced his hand over the phone on the side of his desk. Just yesterday, only yesterday, he had called the leader of the Konoha Bouryokudan, and told him of the threat the Sound posed. Otogakure was not a city to be taken lightly.

Poor, sad Itachi, Orochimaru mused, his bone-chilling grin still plastered on his face. The man knew not what was coming for him. Orochimaru chuckled again, thinking of Itachi trying to put his forces up against those of Oto. The Uchiha man, nor any of his Yakuza, stood a chance. The offer that had been handed to him he would most likely refuse, simply because allowing the charges against Orochimaru to drop would place attention on the Konoha Bouryokudan, and just give the snake-eyed man free rein to take over his territory. Orochimaru's grin widened at the idea.

He was going to attack no matter what Itachi decided to do. Whether or not the deal was accepted, Oto had already made its first move.

The sleek black telephone rang, and Orochimaru's pale white hand reached out and grabbed it. He held it up to his ear with a sneering, "Hello?"

Over the line came a familiar, welcome, bored-sounding voice. "Orochimaru, I've just called to tell you that I'm in Konoha. I'm staying at the Metro-Leaf Hotel. I'll be visiting Itachi tomorrow morning."

"Good, good," Orochimaru cooed, the sound coming out like a hiss. He could hear Shikamaru yawn, and sighed. "Call me in the morning after your…meeting." He hung up, carefully placing the phone back in its cradle. He steepled his fingers with his elbows resting on the top of his desk. His brow was furrowed, wrinkles appearing on his forehead, as he went over in his thoughts the plan that he had come up with. Deliver the message, send in his lawyer, make subtle threats and hints, and finally, the actual attack. But Itachi wouldn't know when the "actual attack" started, because it would be in small fragments, a few attacks here and there, maybe a murder or two if necessary, all leading up to the big finale, when Orochimaru would finally kill Itachi, and take over Konoha.



Sakura looked at herself in the mirror, tugging lightly on one lock of pink hair. It was around six, Naruto was already home (and dressed), and was waiting impatiently for her to get ready for their dinner date. He was taking her to the restaurant off the side of the Metro-Leaf Hotel, another of Inuzuka Kiba's grand ideas. And she had to admit, this one had been going on pretty well for about two and a half years, the longest any of Kiba's ideas had lasted. Ranging from gas stations to pet grooming parlors, all of the crazy ideas Kiba managed to come up with had all been failures. Hopefully, the Metro-Leaf would last longer. Hopefully.

The knee-length black dress she had on fit tightly to her tiny, fit figure. In the front, at the waist, tiny pink strands of lace crisscrossed and ended in a petite, delicate bow. The neckline was v-neck, held up by straps tied behind her neck. Her pink hair was done up neatly in a bun, pinned in place, with a few curled pieces outlining her pale face. Her green eyes stood out brightly in contrast to the black dress. Sakura adored how she looked in the dress, remembering that Hinata had convinced her to buy it despite her protests a few weeks ago. She'd said to save it for a special occasion, and if there was a time to wear it, it was now.

With a final, contented sigh, Sakura bent down to slip her feet into her high-heeled shoes. After Naruto's promise to take her out somewhere special—and after she'd gotten over the shock of keeping Ino from her meeting—she'd rifled through her closet to find something to wear. She had so many dress-shoe-necklace combinations it was pathetic, and she had to admit, they all looked pretty damn stunning. On her, at least. So, with some difficulty, when Naruto got home, she changed into her dress. Honestly, it wasn't her need to stand in front of the mirror and play with her hair and makeup for hours that was slowing her down. It was the crutches. Seriously!

Sakura hobbled out of the bedroom she shared with Naruto, her crutches and heels combined slowing her down a bit. And now that her arms were bare, the crutches were rubbing her raw, and she was a little afraid of deodorant stains being left on the supposedly soft and comfortable material. Her face flushed at the thought, and she quickly pushed the idea from her mind.

Naruto was waiting impatiently in the living room, flipping through a magazine absently. He kept checking his watch, too, Sakura noticed, and she tried to be as quiet as possible, hoping she could scare him. But that plan failed miserably when she caught a crutch on a table in the hallway, succeeding in knocking it over, breaking the plant set on top of it, and falling face-down on the hall floor. She groaned, feeling completely and utterly stupid. Only she would manage to trip and fall on such an important night. She let herself lay there, not wanting to get up for fear she'd find Naruto laughing down at her.

But then she felt his hand on her back and felt him crouched down by her side. He rubbed her back, and she heard a light chuckle. "Only you, sweetheart. Only you." She found herself grinning, too, and pushed herself up until she was sitting. Naruto, dressed in his collared shirt, navy-blue jacket, and khaki pants, sat next to her, still rubbing her back in a comforting manner.

"Sorry, Naruto," Sakura giggled, and leaned against his shoulder. Her eyes strayed towards the broken pot and the plant and dirt scattered all over the floor. She sighed and said disdainfully, "Umm, can we wait until tomorrow to clean all that up? Please?"

"No problem!" Naruto looked almost relieved as he helped Sakura back onto her feet, handed her the crutches, and brushed her off. She hobbled to the mirror above the mantle, made sure her hair was still in place, checked her makeup, and gave Naruto thumbs up. She was good.

He held the front door open for her, let her hobble through, shut and locked it behind her, and gestured towards his shiny black car. It was a Porsche, a special edition, with sleek lines, two seats, and an engine to die for. The Porsche had been a result of the pay Itachi gave to those who worked for him. It was a dangerous job—those who agreed to do it deserved a sexy, beautiful, and equally dangerous car. Normally Sakura didn't get to ride in Naruto's car. It was his "baby," apparently, and took a close second only to her. She'd gotten used to the fact that he absolutely adored the vehicle, and it didn't really bother her anymore. In fact, she would butter up to him as much as possible in the hopes that she would get to ride in it some more.

So, as you can imagine, at the sight of the Porsche, Sakura clapped her hands in delight and attempted to jump. Attempted being the right word because she dropped the crutches and bounced on her sprained ankle. Before she could collapse from pain and embarrassment, Naruto caught her and set her up straight. He once again gave her the crutches back, grinning.

"Your chariot awaits, Madame." She squealed in glee, and hobbled as quickly as she could over to the sleek black car. Naruto held the door open, she clambered in, and he shut the door behind her. She chucked the crutches behind the front seats in the little space of room that was available back there and clicked on her seatbelt. That was Naruto's main rule—no seatbelt, no fun ride in the Porsche. He even hollered at one of his "co-workers" if they failed to comply.

Naruto slipped in the driver's side, put on his seatbelt, and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips. "Ready?" She nodded eagerly, and as soon as the car purred to life (she loved the sound of its engine), she reached over and cranked up the radio, making sure her favorite CD was in. Naruto wasn't too fond of the boppy girl song that she chose, but he chose to ignore it and concentrated on driving. Sakura didn't care, though. She was having fun. And she was in the Porsche!

Naruto chuckled as she sang and danced along to the songs on her CD, rolling down the window and throwing an arm outside. The wind whipped and stung her arm, but it felt good. It wasn't very often that she managed to get a day off (technically a few weeks off), and when she did, it was rare that Naruto would take her out. Normally, they'd spend the night cuddled on the couch, eating cookie dough ice cream, and watching movies. Getting out and having fun was a rare treat, better than all the cartons of cookie dough ice cream in the world! Okay, well, maybe not that great, but it was delight.

In no time they reached the Metro-Leaf, and Sakura was more than reluctant to get out of the gorgeous car. Naruto hauled her out by the arm, swearing they'd go the longer way home after everything else he had planned for the night, and helped her dodder into the restaurant/hotel. Sakura looked around, in awe. Kiba really had outdone himself this time.

The spacious room was filled with round tables draped in white silken cloths. The walls were covered in white wallpaper, golden designs looping and twisting across the fabric. Windows covered one entire window, each a door leading out onto the outdoor dining deck, equally gorgeous as the inside. On every table there were three white candles, lit and flickering in the dim lighting the dining room offered. Waiters dressed in crisp white collared shirts and spotless black pants. They sported either a black bowtie or a black scarf. While Sakura stood and took it all in, Naruto walked over to the maitre 'd and whispered into his ear. The man, dressed as neatly as the waiters in a black tailed jacket, white shirt, and black pants with matching shiny shoes, grabbed two menus.

Naruto took Sakura by the arm—carefully, because she still had to walk on those blasted crutches—and helped her follow the maitre 'd. The man led them through a pair of glass doors framed with white wood and into a small room lit only with candles. The candlelight glowed softly against the mahogany wood walls, and the white table was illuminated by it. Sakura took in a sharp breath—had Naruto done all this for her?

Naruto helped her over to the table, pulled out her chair, and pushed her seat in once she sat down. He took his place opposite her, the maitre 'd handed them the menus, and they were alone. Sakura didn't even look at the menu in front of her—she was too busy staring in wonder at Naruto. The blonde man was so sweet, so kind, so loving, he couldn't possibly be real. But he was. And he was hers. All hers, and no one else's.

He leaned across the table and reached out for her hand. He brought it up to his lips, kissed it softly, and held it on the table. His blue eyes were sparkling, as though he knew—when he just couldn't—how amazing this all was. She was in awe, she couldn't speak. She could just stare at him, trying to make him understand that this was the most wonderful thing anyone had ever done for her. Sure, she'd had boyfriends before, doctors, lawyers, everything. But none of them had given her the special kind of night she'd always dreamed of. And now Naruto was.

"Oh, Naruto," she whispered, squeezing his hand. "You didn't have to do this for me. You know that."

He shrugged. "Yeah, but I wanted to. You deserve it." He smiled warmly at her, then let go of her hand and picked up the menu. He read over it with a tiny frown of concentration that made Sakura giggle. He ignored her, and she opened her menu. Her eyes were drawn to the chicken fettuccine, and she licked her lips. Yum. That was her favorite dish.

She looked back up, and saw that Naruto was glaring at his menu. She raised an eyebrow and knocked on the back of the paper menu, grinning. "Um, hello, sir, I was wondering if there was a particular reason you're glowering at your menu in such a fierce manner."

Naruto sighed and put the menu down, shaking his head with an irritable expression on his face. "They have no ramen."

Sakura groaned. Naruto and his ramen.

A few minutes later, a waiter came, introduced himself as Samo, and asked if they were ready to order. Naruto scanned the menu again and shrugged. "I'll have shrimp scampi, mashed potatoes and corn on the side, with an iced tea, thanks."

Samo scribbled Naruto's order down on his pad and moved his gaze to Sakura. "And for the lovely lady?"

Sakura giggled as Naruto's hand tightened over hers—he was protective, very, very protective—and told Samo, "I'll have the chicken fettuccine, a baked potato, and an iced tea, too. Thank you!" she added, and Samo smiled coyly. She kicked Naruto under the table, for he was squeezing her hand way too hard, and it didn't help that it happened to be the hand with the stitches. His grip immediately loosened, and the waiter walked away with their orders. Sakura snickered behind her hand.

"Naruto, you are so terrible," she giggled, and pulled her hand out of his. She glanced at the white bandage still wrapped around it. Just another sign of her clumsiness. She sighed and shook her head. "I can't believe how much I hurt myself."

"Oh, hon, don't be upset about it!" Naruto cooed, looking worried. "We all have our accidents. You're just more prone to it. And no, I'm not calling you clumsy. Just…inattentive to the things around you."

She rolled her eyes. "Sure you are."

Naruto laughed and looked over at the doors they'd come through. Music had started playing from the main dining hall, and it was being pulsed over speakers to allow them to hear it, too. He smiled, stood, and held out his hand. "May I have this dance?"

She would've accepted in a heartbeat had it not been for the crutches leaning against the table. She gestured towards them, and Naruto shrugged, taking her hand anyway. He pulled her up, picked her up, and carried her to the little area designated for dancing.

"What are you…" Sakura tried to say, but she was cut off by a quick kiss. Naruto set her feet on top of his, and started dancing for them both. He swept across the dance floor, carrying both of their weight. The soft, calming strains of music coursed through the room, waving over both of them and surrounding them with quiet twang of notes.

Sakura didn't want it to end. Her hand in his, the other on his shoulder. He held her to his chest, and she rested her head against him with a contented sigh. There was nowhere else she'd rather be than with the one person who she loved with all her heart. Naruto knew her like the back of his hand. He knew what thoughts passed through her mind, how she felt about everything, when she was going to blow up and when she was going to cry. He knew about her clumsiness, and loved her more for it. He found ever one of her qualities, whether good, embarrassing, or bad, endearing. She loved him more than anyone she'd ever loved before. And she hoped to spend the rest of her life with him.

The song faded off, and a more jubilant one came on. Sakura pouted for a second, then allowed Naruto to help her back into her chair and stretched out her leg. Just as Naruto had scooted his seat closer to the table, the waiter, Samo, came back in carrying a tray filled with their food. He set down the drinks first, then the sides, and finally the actually dinners. Sakura's mouth started to water at the sight of the chicken fettuccine, and she dug in the second Samo had left.

It tasted even better than it looked, as always. Sakura grinned at Naruto, who was enjoying his shrimp scampi. "Good food, Naruto?"

"Of course!" he said enthusiastically.

Sakura's fork was almost at her mouth when two questions popped into her head at one time. She set the utensil back down and gave Naruto an even stare. He didn't notice for a few minutes, until she kicked him under the table again, and he looked up, startled. The kick hadn't hurt him, but it had gotten his attention.

"Wha?" he mumbled through a mouth full of shrimp, potatoes, and corn. "Fumfin' wong?" He swallowed, and smacked his lips. "What's the matter?"

"Can I ask you two questions?" Sakura wondered, and Naruto nodded.

"Sure. What are they?" He went for another bite of food, and she held up her hand to stop him. Looking worried, he put his fork down and placed all of his concentration on her.

She took a deep breath. "Okay, first one—do you know why Yamanaka Ino came to our house this morning, banged on the door, woke me up, and persistently rang the doorbell until I answered?"

"Uh…" Naruto looked utterly confused, and raised an eyebrow. "I have no idea."

"Okay then," she said, sighing. "Because she did. Anyway, on to the next question." Her live-in butterflies began fluttering in her stomach, and she swallowed hard to try and stem their activity. The next question she had was probably not going to get answered, although she'd prefer it if Naruto answered her up front and didn't keep everything secret. Not telling her would just make her nerves go on red alert and she'd get paranoid or something, or maybe more accident-prone than she already was.

"Well?" Naruto reached across the table and took her hand again. "You can ask me anything, okay? You know that."

"Alright," Sakura sighed, and cleared her throat. "Why did your note say I couldn't leave the house?"

Naruto bristled—she could feel it just from holding his hand. He withdrew back from her grasp and ran his hand through his hair. He blew through his lips, rubbed his eyes, and sighed. Sakura knew that he was not going to answer her directly, because that was just how he was, and how Itachi's business ran. No one knew that it was the Bouryokudan except for those in it. Everyone thought it was just a simple coffee-bean and coffee-making business. Even letting Sakura know had been a stretch, but Naruto had wanted to tell her, despite Itachi's warnings.

"You know the rules," Naruto finally said, looking hard into her eyes. She nodded, and shrugged.

"And I don't care." She raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "If something is going to threaten my life, then I deserve to know what it is. Don't you think so?"

It was one of those questions that the male in the relationship hated to hear, and Sakura knew damn well that Naruto understood the consequences if the wrong answer was given. She didn't want to hear how he couldn't tell her, hear about the rules; she just wanted an answer, a straight up answer!

Naruto sighed again, and said, "Alright." Sakura perked up, all ears. Finally! Naruto licked his lips, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "I'm gonna get killed for this. Phew, okay, here goes." He looked at her full in the face, his blue eyes serious and pleading for her cooperation. "There's only a limited amount I'm allowed to tell you, and I meant it. No pressuring."

"Promise," she agreed quickly. She just wanted to know whatever he could tell her.

"The reason why you had to stay at home," Naruto began carefully, slowly choosing each word before it came out of his mouth, "was because there was a…threat…on Itachi's, erm, coffee business." Sakura nodded, understanding. "It came from a…coffee entrepreneur in Otogakure, and…do you remember that list I gave you when we first started dating?" She nodded. "Well, the first thing on the list? That's what the problem is. Numbers one through nine are causing the problem. Okay?"

Sakura sharply took in a breath, and clenched the arm of her chair until her knuckles turned white. Oh, Kami, no. She knew who Naruto was talking about, every single one of them. She'd memorized the list he'd given her the first week she'd had it. Every day she ran it over and over in her head, never letting herself forget the people listed on it. And, hell, the first two on the list she wouldn't even think. Their names sent chills up her spine and stabbing pain through her heart.

She opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by the sound of a tinkling ring tone. Naruto flushed ten shades of red as he dug his cell phone out of his pocket and glanced at the front screen. Sakura stifled a giggle—it had been her doing, putting the boppy song as his ring tone. It was a small revenge for him forcing her off work. She noticed, though, that at the name on the caller ID, his face paled to a stark white and he jumped up from the table, simultaneously flipping the phone open and holding it to his ear. He rushed out onto the outdoor eating area, talking frantically, pacing, and listening to whoever was on the other line. Sakura could do nothing but stare at him.

She absently picked at a bit of her food, not really hungry anymore. She had a pretty good idea of who Naruto was talking to, and anything that that person had to say was not going to be good. Whatever it was, though, it had better not mess up their date!

Naruto walked back into the room, straightening his shirt and fervently text messaging someone. When he finally looked at her, his blue eyes were pleading, and she moaned. "Naruto! Please, no, don't, not tonight!"

He put his hands up as he walked over to her and said, "I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do about it. Boss needs me for an extra, um, shift. Please, Sakura, don't be like this. If he needs me to go, then I have to go." He got down to her level and held her face in his hands. "Please, please, just this once, I promise." He waited, and when she nodded reluctantly, he quickly kissed her on the lips. "I love you so much." He stood, while she pouted in her chair, and walked over to the door, calling over his shoulder, "Someone will be here in a few to pick you up."

Sakura's green eyes widened in shock as the door closed behind him, and she could only think of one reason why he'd leave in such a rush before telling her she was getting picked up. "Damn it, Naruto! Why him?!"  
But Naruto was already gone.



Naruto slammed as hard as he could on the gas, weaving in and out of traffic like the other cars were standing still. The engine purred under the hood, restless and just as eager as Naruto was to get where they were going. The red needle on the speedometer pushed past seventy, getting closer to eighty with each passing second. He hated having to leave Sakura behind on their date, and especially to leave her with Sai as a ride, but he had no choice. Itachi needed him. There was a situation, and it wasn't good.

He ground his teeth together and sped up, ignoring the red light he had just run through. Apparently, some stupid idiot henchman of Orochimaru's had come into Konoha without notifying his boss. Orochimaru was bound to be upset, very upset, and whoever this person was would most likely be up to no good soon. Naruto's job? To get to Itachi's house, listen to instructions, and take up the search-and-kill position with Asuma. Damn, he hated this.

"You're going to have to live, Sakura," he muttered as he turned the wheel sharply into Itachi's driveway and screeched to a halt. He rushed out of the car, didn't even take the time to lock the doors, and walked stiffly into the house.

Asuma met him in the front hall, along with Neji and…wait a damn minute!"Sai," Naruto snapped as the four briskly strode towards Itachi's office. "What the hell are you doing here? Who's going to pick up Sakura?"

Sai scoffed. "Like your girlfriend's my responsibility." He ignored Naruto's growl of anger and went on, "Besides, everyone else is a phone call away, and I'm not letting you idiots take this job by yourself."

Neji shook his head, Asuma groaned, and Naruto shoved Sai hard into the wall. Sai took it all in stride, straightening his shirt and looking at the blonde man with an interested expression. "What are you going to do, Naruto? Beat me up when there are more important matters at hand than your girlfriend?"

Before Naruto could respond, all four of them heard and recognized someone clearing their throat, and turned. Naruto's expression calmed at the sight of Itachi's cool glare, and he even managed a half-smile. "What's up, boss?"

"Are you trying to beat up one of my employees, Naruto?" Itachi asked calmly, tilting his head sideways, his eyes eerily glinting red. "Because I already knew that Sai would shirk off his duties, because that's just obvious, and sent someone in his place."

"Oh, good." Naruto relaxed completely, but had enough anger left to shoot a glower at the black-haired man next to him. "So, what's the plan, Sam?"

Itachi rolled his eyes. "Right." He led them into his office, and one of his guards closed the doors behind them. Itachi turned to face his four yakuza and studied each and every one of them. Naruto shifted impatiently from foot to foot, already anxious to get going. If they hurried this up, he could get home to Sakura before daylight struck, and maybe apologize twenty times before breakfast.

"Naruto! If you don't stop fidgeting I'm going to blow your head off right now!" Itachi growled suddenly, and Naruto froze mid-fidget. He slowly lowered his foot back to the ground and forced himself to be still. "Thank you." Itachi sighed. "Alright. Orochimaru, as you'll soon found out, has sent in one of his men. On purpose. But another of his followers, some idiot whom he is very protective of, has decided it would be fun to take his vacation time in Konoha." Itachi's lips curled into a sneer. "That was the dumbest move he could've made. You two," he shot at Naruto and Asuma, "Tail the little freak and make sure he doesn't to anything rash. And you," he said to Sai and Neji, who lifted their chins in response, "I want you to find out who was sent by Orochimaru, and bring him to me. Got it?"

The four nodded, and Itachi dismissed them by turning to the window. He peered outside into the darkness, slammed his fist on the window sill, and rested his forehead against the glass. This was the last thing he needed—to have Orochimaru already making his move and taking the upper hand. Well, if there was one thing, it was this: Itachi was no idiot, and he was determined to be a step ahead of Orochimaru the whole way.



Sakura rested all her weight on her crutches and sighed. Naruto had left nearly thirty minutes ago, and still she was waiting for someone to come pick her up. He'd promised someone was coming, and she'd gotten a pretty good idea of who it was. Sai was no the person who would be late, though, considering either Naruto or Itachi would throttle him if he did. Naruto because, well, that was obvious, and Itachi because Sakura just happened to know a little bit too much about their organization and was a danger to them if any information was tortured out of her. She shuddered at the idea.

After another impatient sigh, Sakura finally moved away from the doors and sat at a vacant table, picking the petals off of one of the flowers in the vase on the table. She didn't notice when someone came up to her table, only realizing they were there when they cleared their throat. She looked up, and smiled.

"Hey, Choji."

Akimichi Choji, in his plump, happy, round-faced glory, was the cook for the Metro-Leaf Hotel and Restaurant. And he was also a long-time friend of Sakura's and Naruto's. He had come over and cooked for them many times when either Sakura had been too tired or injured to come out or when they'd just wanted a nice meal in their own home. And Choji was always ready to cook something for his good friends.

"Whatcha doing here all alone, Sakura?" Choji wanted to know, sliding into the seat opposite her. She shrugged.

"Naruto had to leave for work, and someone was supposed to pick me up—I have no idea who—and they aren't here yet." She sighed for the umpteenth time and picked off another petal. Choji carefully took the petal from her hand and studied it.

"Daisy," he confirmed, and let it slip back onto her palm. She smiled.

"Thanks."

"No problem." He stretched and grunted. "So, how long have you been waiting out here?"

"Umm, about half and hour. Why?"

"Because," Choji said simply, "pretty girls like you shouldn't be sitting out here all alone, you know. They should have a date."

"Well, you know how Naruto's job is," Sakura said, but her stomach lurched anyway. "He's always getting called in for whatever reason. Stupid coffee beans." She allowed herself a weak chuckle, and Choji smiled sadly. He knew what Naruto's job really was, although he went along with the coffee bean fib, just like everyone else did. Although Choji did it in respect for his friend, not in fear of what Itachi might do.

"Yeah. Hey, did you guys like the dinner?" Choji wanted to know.

Sakura smiled. "Of course. At least, I enjoyed what I was able to eat of it." She giggled, Choji chuckling along, and noticed a car sweeping up to the front of the restaurant and screeching to a halt. By the driving, it had to be someone Itachi had sent, and she sighed. "Gotta go. There's my ride."

Choji waved goodbye as she hobbled to the door, pushed through it, and made her way to the car. The white car (which was strange in itself, because most of Itachi's men had black cars) purred quietly in front of the restaurant, and when she opened the passenger door, she was yanked inside, the door slammed shut, and her crutches flung into the back seat.

"Hey!" she yelled, but the person was already speeding away.

* * *

**Woo! Chapter Two finished! Okay, now onto my other two stories that I need to update. Phew. Running around like a beheaded chicken is, like, turning into a really, really bad daily occurence. **

**Read and review, please!**

**Luv much**

**Nicola**


	3. Chapter 3

**Phew! What a chapter! I've never written a chapter this long! Fourteen and a half pages on word!!! You know, I didn't realize I had been writing so much until I went back and coutned the pages, lol. It's dramatic, cute, and all this other stuff. And you get to see the lives of a few other people, including Shikamaru and Hanabi!!!**

**YAY!  
Anwyay, read and enjoy. **

**Disclaimer: you know it**

**Luv much**

**Nicola**

* * *

Naruto gunned the engine, looking for the license plate with the number that matched the one Itachi had given him. Asuma scanned each car that they blew by, glimpsing each of their plates and grinding his teeth with every failure. They hadn't found the stupid brat of Orochimaru's yet, and it was beginning to get very nerve racking. They'd been at it for almost an hour, and still no sign of his car.

With a roar, the Porsche sped past eighty, and Asuma grabbed onto the door handle. Naruto was a great fighter, and a good strategist, but damn, he was a terrible, dangerous driver!

Naruto grabbed his cell phone and, much to Asuma's horror, started text messaging someone. Naruto snapped it shut, tossed it back into the cup holder, and glared at the road. Whoever Itachi had sent to pick up Sakura had better have gotten there and taken her home, or else. His cell phone bleeped, and he picked it up again, flipping it open to see Itachi's reply.

_I sent Tenten, but she came back a few minutes ago and said that she couldn't find her anywhere, and that the chef said someone already came and got her. But that doesn't mean you have to get all macho and go looking for her. I'm sure she's fine._

The car jerked to the left, and nearly hit an SUV. It honked at Naruto, who screamed back at it and sped up. Damn it! Anger boiled in his blood, and he clenched his fists around the steering wheel. Someone had taken his Sakura from the restaurant. Itachi had sworn that Sakura would be okay. But she wasn't. She had been napped from the place he'd left her, where he'd thought it would be safe. And damn if someone hadn't come right after he'd gone and snatched her up.

Well, Itachi shouldn't have called him in. He could've gotten someone else to do his work for him, instead of drawing Naruto away from his girlfriend when there was a risk for her life. He growled, reaching over and turning the radio down. Asuma glanced at him like he was crazy. With a squeal of tires, Naruto turned around in the middle of the highway, roaring onto the other side and heading back the way he'd come. His blue eyes were narrowed dangerously, his mind whirring angrily.

In the most likely scenario, Sakura was in trouble. And he was going to find her. By starting where he'd last seen her—at the restaurant.



Itachi glared out of his window, silently mulling over all the problems that had arisen in the past few minutes, and wondering why he had taken over this business in the first place.

It hadn't been his choice—it had been his father's. Fugaku had ruled over the Konoha Bouryokudan for years, since his father had died, and had the whole family in on the business. Aunts, uncles, cousins, parents, siblings, everyone had been part of this wretched mafia, and no one could escape from it. You were committed the moment you joined, or were forced to join. Which was why Itachi had resented his father all those years.

He shoved his hands into his pockets as his father's face floated into his thoughts. Damn that stupid Fugaku, forcing him to take over the business as soon as he died. Why couldn't Sasuke have had that position? Oh, right, the little traitor had run off to be with Orochimaru and his Bouryokudan, obviously in some sort of teenage revenge. Cheh, how juvenile. And how idiotic. Didn't Sasuke understand that some day, his older brother was going to come after him and end him? Maybe he didn't, but soon enough he would realize his mistakes and fall on his knees to beg for forgiveness. And Itachi would deny him any such rights, then shoot him where he knelt. The thought sent chills up Itachi's arms, and he clenched his hands into fists. If only Sasuke would have stuck around long enough to watch the way Itachi formed his revenge.

Growing up under a mob warlord hadn't been the best life. There were strict rules, and if anyone came over to the house, the children were forced to go up into their rooms, stay there, and only come back down when someone told them it was okay to. They weren't allowed to speak when adults were in the room unless they were spoken to. They had to be on their best behavior all the time, and could not complain about a single thing. They couldn't speak to anyone about their troubles, for fear their father would have that person killed for knowing even a tiny bit about life at home. Itachi had become a secluded child, ignoring everyone, restraining himself from fighting only for fear of what his father would do to him.

Sasuke, on the other hand, had remained as chipper as a mafia child could. Both brothers knew about their father's business, and knew what Dad's men went to do every day. And, despite the cloud hovering over their lives, Sasuke continuously wanted to have friends over, have birthday parties, and live a normal life like all the other kids did. And Fugaku constantly turned him down. No friends were allowed to enter the house. Birthday parties were held outside of their home, and as for a normal life? That was about as normal as it got.

When Sasuke got older, he began to train with Hatake Kakashi, a man that Itachi and his father both loathed. Hatake was an ANBU, and a strong one at that. He was the enemy, and although the Konoha Bouryokudan and the ANBU were sworn adversaries, they forcibly got along in public.

And, eventually, Sasuke left, an offer from the Otogakure Bouryokudan too much to turn down, infuriating Itachi and the rest of the family. The brat had just betrayed them to their worst foe. Fugaku fell into a stupor, a raging stupor, where a single question sent him flying into a fury, screaming and cursing and threatening the lives of everyone around him until it came to a point where Mikoto, Fugaku's wife, was afraid to go near him. One day, Fugaku called his only remaining son into his office.

Itachi remembered that day as clearly as if had been a week ago. His father had told him he was going to give the business to him. Itachi, angered by this, and having goals of his own, flatly refused. Fugaku had flown into another rage, viciously spitting out vulgar names and telling his son what a failure he was. He rushed at Itachi, grabbing him by the sleeve of his jacket as he threatened him with his life.

In response to his father's words, Itachi had twisted out of his jacket, reached for the gun on the bookcase, and held Fugaku at gun point. Fugaku had thrown his hands up in the air, and Itachi had fled down the hallway, hearing footsteps behind him.

He didn't think—he feared for his life. He just turned around, held the gun up, and started shooting. When there were no more bullets left, and his ears were ringing from the blasts, he squinted through the haze and saw several figures lying on the floor. He was able to make out his father, his mother, two of his cousins, and an uncle, dead, bullet holes in their chests and stomachs.

Itachi turned away from the window, forcing down the gut-wrenching feeling of guilt that had plagued him since that day. He had killed his parents, and his family. After that, he'd went on in a blind fury to destroy what was left of the Uchiha's. By the end of the day, he and his brother were the only two left, and to prove his dominance, Itachi had stripped down the life-size photograph of his family, ripped it in two, and thrown in it the fireplace to watch it burn. And in his minds eye, he saw Sasuke in place of his family, dead and bleeding on the ground, the disgusting bantling.

Looking over at the empty space on the wall of his office, Itachi visualized the family portrait, and a smirk came over his face as he recalled the sound and smell of it crinkling into ashes in the grip of the flames. He and his brother were the only ones left, and, soon enough, if he had his way, Sasuke would be gone, too. If it weren't for Sasuke, maybe their family would still be alive, and Fugaku wouldn't have become so violent. It was all Sasuke's fault, the blame was on him.

Itachi glared at his cell phone as it bleeped at him. Damn it, he knew who was texting him. Hadn't he just told Naruto not to forget what he was supposed to be doing just to find his stupid girlfriend? He grabbed his phone, flipped it open, and read the message:

_F u, Itachi. I'm gonna go find Sakura._

Great.

The dumbass had gotten it into his head to find his girlfriend and bring her home, like the hero was supposed to do. Itachi threw the phone back onto his desk, and walked back over to the window, his hands back in his pockets.



"Um, I don't think you were supposed to pick me up," Sakura told the man behind the wheel, her tone irritated, and rolled her eyes. "So you might as well drop me off and let me walk home."

The man chuckled. "Sakura, when will you ever learn?" He turned his head, and Sakura glared at the older man. Hatake Kakashi had once been her neighbor, before she'd moved in with Naruto, and was a beloved friend of hers. But right now, after she'd stupidly gotten into the wrong car with the wrong person, she wasn't in much of a mood to see him. Who did he think he was, anyway, kidnapping her?

"Look, Kakashi, I don't need you to drive me home. I can walk." She crossed her arms and put on the most furious expression she could muster.

"Okay, sure," Kakashi agreed, slowing down and pulling up next to the sidewalk. "Go ahead. Get out and walk."

Surprised, and a little suspicious, Sakura opened the door and stepped outside. But when she tried to stand on both feet, she remembered that she was sporting a fractured ankle and that walking was not an option. Balancing on one foot, she turned to get her crutches out of Kakashi's car, only to see that he'd driven up about half a block and was waiting for her there. Ugh, she hated men.

He was going to make her walk, so that's what she did. Well, more hopped than walked to the car, but she got there and opened the passenger door. She slid inside, buckled her seatbelt, and shut the door. Kakashi was grinning triumphantly from the driver's seat, but she ignored him and glared out the windshield. "Just drive."

And that he did, a lot more safely than Naruto did, and even though she was grateful for the slower speed, she was missing the excitement of driving in Naruto's Porsche with the wind beating inside the car, the music pounding in her ears. And, as she tried to push longing thoughts away, she realized that they were going to wrong direction.

"Hey!" she said, smacking Kakashi's shoulder. "Where do you think you're going? My house is that way."

"Yup."

"Okay," she said slowly, staring at him. "Then…aren't we going to turn around?"

"Nope."

"Kakashi!"

"Don't worry, I won't be kidnapping you for long," Kakashi consoled her, although it was hardly reassuring, being told that she was only going to be held against her will for a _little while_. Was he out of his mind? "We're just going to my house for a little discussion and then I'll take you home. Alright?"

"No!" she cried, unbuckling her seatbelt and reaching for the door. She didn't care if she got all banged up from jumping out of a moving car. She was not going to Kakashi's house, not for all the money in the world! "You're insane!"

"I wouldn't jump out if I were you," he said calmly, turning down a road that she knew well. "You'll only hurt yourself worse." His voice wasn't creepy or threatening like a murderer, but knowledgeable and matter-of-fact.

So she flopped back in her seat, arms crossed over her chest again, and stayed quiet until they slowed to a stop in front of the apartment building where she used to live. Kakashi helped her out of the car, handed her the crutches and walked next to her as they approached the elevator. He absently hit his floor number, and Sakura continued to pout while the contraption rumbled upwards.

When the bells dinged and the doors opened, Kakashi let her through first, and she hobbled as quickly as she could down the hall to his door. She knew where he lived, and although she wasn't very happy about being forced to visit his home, she just wanted to hurry it up and get out of there. If whoever Itachi had sent to pick her up had gotten there by now, they'd have realized she had been taken by someone else unknown. And of course Itachi would tell Naruto and remind him that she didn't matter anyway, and Naruto would rebel and rush off to find her despite his boss's protests. Typical Naruto.

Kakashi led her into his house, and she sat down on the scratchy green couch that didn't match any of the other pieces of furniture in the miniscule living room. Kakashi took the burnt orange chair, and stretched. She stayed tensed, sitting perfectly straight, and as rigid as a board. She needed to be prepared for anything. Kakashi was somewhere near number thirty on the list Naruto had given her, even if she knew him well.

"So," she said after a few moments of silence had passed, "are we gonna talk? Or are you going to be keeping me hostage for a few hours longer?"

Kakashi chuckled, much to her displeasure, and replied, "Oh, you're free to go whenever you want. But I don't think you'll get very far on those crutches, do you? And besides," he leaned forward in his chair, resting his arms on his knees, "you'll want to hear what I've got to say."

"Look, Kakashi," Sakura snapped, beginning to feel panicky. She'd know Kakashi since high school, but right now, all she wanted was to go home, crawl into bed, and wait for Naruto to get home. "I don't want to hear anything that's going to come out of your mouth, so if you please, I'll just call Naruto and have him come pick me up." She reached for his phone, heart thudding in her chest as she wondered what Itachi would do to her if he knew she distracted his Yakuza.

"If you're sure you want to do that," Kakashi said, yawning. "I've gotta hurry this little pow-wow up, anyway. It's past my bedtime."

Sakura bristled. "Then talk." Her hand was already reaching for her purse, in which her cell phone rested against a compact and a notepad. If he didn't start talking and get this over with, she was going to personally give Naruto a call and see what a former student could do to bodily injure a past teacher.

"All righty then." Kakashi ran a hand through his gray hair and looked her straight in the eyes. "You should know by now that Orochimaru has made a move on Konoha." He waited for her to nod before going on, "And that wherever he goes, his henchmen will, too. That means that you and everyone else in Konoha are at risk of crossfire, or some other stunt the Oto men are bound to play. I'm worried about you, Sakura, not only because of the likely incident that you might get hurt, but because of who's coming with Orochimaru."

With a little gasp, Sakura realized what he was getting at. She felt tears well up in her green eyes and wondered why she hadn't concluded that Sasuke was going to be coming to Konoha, too. Sasuke had been one of her best friends, and he'd left her. She'd tried to convince him that leaving was a stupid idea, that going to work for Itachi's enemy was the worst thing you could ever do, but he'd brushed her off.

She could remember what had happened

It had been late at night, around midnight, when she'd stumbled upon him heading for the exit to the city after her intern shift at the hospital. He had looked at her with those black eyes of his, his just as black hair shifting lightly in the nighttime breeze. She'd stared back, knowing exactly just what he was going to do. She'd begged him to stay, to forget about Orochimaru's offer and at the very least work for Itachi. With a haughty laugh he'd told her she was stupid and went to walk out of the village. She'd grabbed onto him, refusing to let go of him, wanting him to stay with her. Despite her begging, he'd looked back at her with fury in his dark eyes and shoved her off, knocking her to the ground.

After that, she'd had no choice but to watch him leave the village.

She took a shaky breath and blinked back the tears, meeting Kakashi's gaze. He understood why she was upset—probably had told her because he figured she'd rather hear it from a close friend than find out for herself, which was true.

"Do you know when they're supposed to come?" she whispered, putting her cell phone down on the couch cushions.

Kakashi shrugged. "No. But sometime soon, I can bet you. Orochimaru doesn't like to wait around, and I know that Sasuke is probably looking forward to visiting his old friends and seeing what's become of them." He leaned towards her, an intense look in his gray eyes that scared her more than anything else. "You need to be careful, Sakura. You're the most sensitive of your group of friends, especially concerning Sasuke. He will most likely try to use you for information when he finds out the position that Naruto holds in Itachi's business. Okay?"

She slowly nodded, then looked up at the ceiling just as her cell phone buzzed. She reached down and flipped it open, not even looking at the caller ID because she knew who it would be.

"I'm okay," was the first thing she said, and she could hear Naruto's relieved sigh and someone's yelp. Naruto was probably driving insanely, she thought, trying to find her. A rush of warmth spread over her at the thought of her devoted boyfriend, how he was so desperate to make sure she was okay, how much he cared about her.

"Thank goodness!" Naruto said quietly, and another yelp preceded the screech of breaks. Sakura shook her head—he never would learn how to drive safely, would he? "Where are you? Sakura, where are you? I'll come pick you up, right now, okay?"

"Naruto, Naruto," she interrupted, knowing one of his nervous spiels was starting, and not wanting him to overreact again. "It's alright, I've got a ride."

"Sakura!" he shouted, nearly blowing her eardrum. She winced, and saw Kakashi looking at her. Apparently he'd heard Naruto hollering on the other end of the phone. She was forced to take the phone away from her ear as Naruto continued yelling, and she could still hear him perfectly. Boy, did she pity the person who was in the car with him. "I am going to pick you up! I don't care if you have a ride, I want to know where you are and who got you from the Metro-Leaf, got it?!"

He had started again, she thought with regret. She groaned, and it was a few moments of Naruto screaming before she realized that Kakashi was holding his hand out, apparently for the phone. She looked at the little red device, winced as a particularly high-pitched screech came from the other end, and gratefully handed it over to Kakashi.

Kakashi cleared his throat, but that didn't stop Naruto, who couldn't hear anything but his own rampaging voice when he was mad. Sakura watched as Kakashi attempted to talk Naruto down, calling his name over and over and finally resorting to screaming, "NARUTO!"

The noise that had filled the quiet apartment immediately stopped, and Sakura heard an almost timid voice say, "Kakashi-sensei?"

"Yes, Naruto, it's me," Kakashi said in his usual bored tone, "and I've got Sakura. I needed to talk to—no, I didn't think of calli—she's fine, I didn't do anythi—Naruto, will you shut up and let me speak?" Naruto did so, obviously, because Kakashi went on, "I picked up Sakura, because I needed to talk to her about issues that you weren't comfortable conversing about, and I'm going to take her home, okay? She'll be just fine."

Something in Kakashi's voice must have a calming affect on people, Sakura figured, because after another few seconds he hung up and handed the phone back to her. She blinked, tucked the cell back in her purse, and tilted her head sideways. "Umm, so are you taking me home?"  
"Yup."

They were back to single-syllable answers, so Sakura stood up with the help of her crutches and headed for the door. Kakashi was right behind her, and opened the door. She looked at her old neighbor curiously, wondering what really went on inside his head.



Sakura was sitting in the kitchen, swirling her cocoa around in its mug, when Naruto came through the front door. She heard him toss his keys onto the couch and kick off his shoes before clomping to the kitchen.

She'd been home for a few hours now, and the clock said it was past eleven. The moment Kakashi had driven off, she'd hobbled as quickly as possible to her room so she could change out of her dress. Now, clad in pajamas and a tank top, she looked up as Naruto walked over to her and put his hands on her shoulders. He leaned down and rested his forehead on top of her pink hair, and sighed. She reached up, taking one of his hands in hers, and rubbed his knuckles. He kissed the top of her head and moved to sit down in the chair opposite hers.

They were silent for a long while, something Sakura enjoyed and wished wouldn't end, because the moment one of them decided to speak, Naruto would bring up what had happened tonight. And she didn't want to talk about it right now. She hadn't been in any danger, and even if she had, she could take care of herself despite what Naruto always seemed to think. Hell, the crutches could be used as a weapon if it was necessary. But the way that he kept treating her was just insane. She wasn't a little child who couldn't fend off a gnat. She was a full-grown woman, twenty-four years old, and she was damn well capable of making sure she didn't get kidnapped.

And then there was the whole thing with Naruto not warning her that Sasuke would most likely be returning to the city as the right hand man of Orochimaru. How was that supposed to work out? Was she just presumed to just walk into him in the mall or something? Or would he come knocking to her door and ask for a cup of coffee and a bagel? Naruto should have told her, not just let her live in oblivion. Being naïve was the most dangerous thing you could be if you were in a relationship with someone in this business. Being the daughter of another enemy Bouryokudan was less dangerous. How could Naruto try and keep her in the dark like that?

Finally, Sakura cleared her throat and looked Naruto full in the face. He was tired, obviously, and his forehead was creased from worry. She felt a pang of guilt at the sight of his worn out blue eyes and the way his mouth drooped in the corners. It was her fault he was so upset. He sagged all over from weariness, and he met her gaze slowly, as if it took an effort to just move his eyes.

"Naruto," she whispered, and reached across the table for his hand. She played with his fingers, lacing them with hers, unlacing them, moving them around in her hand. "Are you mad at me?"

Naruto looked startled. "No, never," he said quickly, leaning forward. "I could never be upset with you, Sakura. I love you." He sighed. "You just had me worried is all. I just…I hate it when I don't know what's going on in your mind. Or when you run off in a strange car to Kami knows where."

Sakura smiled sheepishly. "I thought it was my ride. And, well, it was someone trustworthy. Kakashi would never hurt me."

"But what if it had been someone else?" _Here comes the lecture_, she thought bitterly, and settled back in her seat to hear it. "What would you have done? What could you have done? What if it had been Orochimaru driving that car and he took you somewhere to kill you? I wouldn't have been able to save you, Sakura," he ended in a choked voice. "That's what scares me, that I won't get there the next time before something happens."

"Oh, Naruto." She stood up and walked over to his chair, putting her arms around him in a hug. He hugged her back tightly, pulling her onto his lap. She sat there, her head resting on his shoulder, and thought about what he'd just said. It was easier to understand how he felt now that she knew what went through his head every time she did something even mildly dangerous. Anything could happen, even with the best of precautions, and Naruto knew that better than anyone else. His parents had been killed when he was only a baby, so he'd never known them. He knew what could happen if a person was careless with those they loved.

Sakura finally stood up from his lap, taking his hand and leading him to their bedroom. She climbed into bed, Naruto lying down next to her, and he draped his arm over her waist. She leaned into him, enjoying the warmth his chest offered, and closed her eyes, hoping for sleep.



Nara Shikamaru walked around the lobby of the Metro-Leaf Hotel, his crisp gray suit tailored to his figure. His dark hair, lazy expression, and powerful demeanor left him giving off an air of high quality. He strutted about, knowing that while here, in enemy territory, he was safe even with several people wishing for his ultimate demise, solely because of the man he worked for.

He sighed, uninterested in the waitress giving him the eye, and took a seat on one of the comfy chairs in the lobby. There wasn't much to do until his planned visit later on, other than sitting down and looking like he was busy. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a pack of mint gum, and popped one in his mouth. Well, if he was going to be bored, he might as well have fresh breath.

Working as a lawyer hadn't always been his dream, but after hearing over and over again how brilliant he was, he figured that becoming an attorney wasn't as bad as other jobs he could get. So he went to law school at three different colleges, all on the top ten highest ranked schools in the world, and he graduated at the top of each class. Of course, he enjoyed shirking off his duties for a good game of Shougi, a game that resembled chess but required a good bit more thinking. He played it as much as he pleased.

Soon after getting his license to practice law, he received a call from a man whose name he wouldn't specify, asking if he would like a well-paying job for one of the more well-known clients out there. He accepted, set up a meeting, and, a few days later, became the lawyer of the mob warlord Orochimaru. And damn, it did pay well. He had never seen so much cash in his life until his first paycheck.

Shikamaru stretched and crossed his legs, one foot sitting atop the other knee. He jiggled his foot impatiently and glanced at the clock above the clerk's desk. It was nowhere near time for his "meeting" and there still wasn't anything there to entertain him. Okay, there was a chess board, but with no one to play with, it wouldn't be a very interesting game.

But his apparent impending doom at the hands of boredom wasn't long lasting, for at that moment, one of his most favorite (and most hated) persons in the world walked through the automatic sliding doors and into the lobby of the Metro-Leaf. Blonde hair swept up into a smart ponytail as always, wearing a straight pencil skirt and a button down blouse tucked under the waist band of the skirt, Yamanaka Ino strutted into the lobby and over the clerk's desk, head held high. Shikamaru smirked at the sight of her in all her swaggering aloofness.

Ino was one of his main competitors, and even though they worked for opposing sides, he still considered her his unofficial play-girlfriend. Yeah, he liked her, and he knew she liked him, but considering who handed them their paychecks, he couldn't make their relationship into anything more than a love-hate-have-fun sort of thing. And hell yeah they had a lot of fun when they weren't keeping their bosses out of trouble or making sure their boss's minions didn't land themselves in jail. Movies, dinner, swapping nights at each others apartments…yup, good times.

Shikamaru heaved himself up from his chair, straightened his suit, made sure his hair was back in its usual ponytail , and walked smartly over to Ino. "Yamanaka Ino," he said smoothly, that smirk still playing on his lips. "I would never expect to see you here."

Ino turned around, an identical expression on her face. "I should be saying that to you, Nara, considering who you work for and all." The playful glint to her eyes vanished, though, to Shikamaru's disappointment, as those gears in her mind started turning. "What are you doing in Konoha, anyway?"

"Oh, you know, business." Shikamaru's smirk widened at her "ah" of realization. She knew what he was doing here, and he loved how it made her eyes narrow and that old competitive spark to edge her voice.

"If you're doing business with the person I'm thinking of, you'll need to refer directly to his lawyer before you confront him personally," she hinted snippily, and he chuckled.

"Same old Ino."

"Same old Shikamaru," she shot back, and turned on her heel. But before she looked away from him he noticed how intrigued she'd seemed, and he felt his ego swell. He followed her, matching her stride for stride as she walked over to the couch and sat down. He sat next to her and looked her in the eye.

"So tell me, Ino," he said, folding his hands on his lap, "what brings you to the Metro-Leaf? I told you what I was doing here, so you might as well tell me your intentions." If that didn't get her, he knew what would.

"Just…business," she answered coyly, crossing her legs and resting her hands on her knee. "You know how it is."

"Oh, yes," Shikamaru agreed, running a hand over his slicked-back hair. "But wouldn't it be easier to have this discussion over a nice big breakfast?"

Ino looked around as if this confused her. "I'm sorry, but if you meant that you would like to have breakfast with me, then I'm inclined to decline. Hate to break the hard news, but my boss doesn't like yours, which means I'm not supposed to like you. If anyone heard that I had agreed to go to breakfast with you, my reputation would be ruined, while yours would stay crystal clean."

"Never far from true intentions, are you, Ino," he said, shaking his head. She was too damn smart for her own good, but really, he hadn't intended to ruin her reputation or anything. He was just hungry, and very, very bored. "Well, I suppose that means I'll just have to pester you until you agree to lunch."

"Oh ho, no you don't," she muttered, and reached for his hand. He let her hold it, knowing where this was going and having no intention of stopping it. She played with his fingers for a moment, then looked up at his face and leaned in. Yes, now this was going somewhere.

"I hate you, Yamanaka Ino," he mumbled as they closed in for a kiss.

"And I hate you more, Nara Shikamaru."



"Damn it!"

Naruto spun the wheel of his car almost all the way around, making a completely illegal turn in the middle of the freeway and skittering over the grass in between to make it to the other side. Mitarashi Anko, seated on the passenger's side, whooped and thrust her fist out of the window. Naruto hit the gas the moment they were turned in the right direction and sped after the brand-new Honda SUV. The dark-blue car was rocketing down the freeway, its driver directing it with such precision that Naruto even had to admire it.

He and Anko had finally pinpointed the runaway of Orochimaru's, and they weren't letting him go. Naruto would have been paired up with Asuma, but the older man had claimed stomach troubles and been allowed to stay home with his wife, Kurenai. But Naruto knew Asuma was just afraid of his driving. Cheh, he wouldn't get in a wreck. He was too good of a driver to do something as stupid as that.

So he was stuck with Anko, but Anko was much more fun. She wasn't afraid to get in a fight or drive fast or shirk off duties that Itachi assigned them. In truth, she was ready for any adventure that would come her way, and Naruto had no problem with that. Since Sakura was safe at home (and had promised to stay at home and not get into any trouble without calling first), he had no reason to worry that something bad was going to happen, other than them getting pulled over, but that was just as unlikely.

"Get on his ass, Naruto!" Anko shouted, leaning forward in her seat as if that would make it go faster. "Come on!"

"Jeez, Anko," Naruto grumbled, speeding up again. "You'd act like we couldn't' find him again." Although, as he said this, he knew that this might be their only chance of tailing this brat, whoever he was.

They were gaining on the SUV, and Naruto felt adrenaline pump through his veins. There was nothing like the thrill of this job, one of the few reasons he'd taken up on Itachi's offer years ago. The excitement it gave him was unique, and nowhere else could you feel so exhilarated. His favorite part of the job? The cars.

"Now to run his butt off the road!"

He edged up on the other side of the SUV, and slowly started creeping closer until their sides were almost touching. The man in the car—the windows were tinted, but you could still make out shapes in the morning light—flipped them off and stayed where he was. Naruto growled under his breath, and, with Anko urging him on from the passenger seat, rammed the man. His precious Porsche could hold up—it had been through worst, he would tell you in a heartbeat—but the SUV screeched sideways and ran into the median, tires slipping along on the dewy grass.

Naruto pulled up beside the other car, and before he could get his little sports car into park, Anko was out and was wrestling the man from his seat. Naruto rushed to her aid, and in a moment they had him pressed up against the side of his car. He had white hair that went down almost to his shoulders, two locks tied off with red ribbon. Under his strangely teal-colored eyes were bags that hinted he wasn't a very deep sleeper, and on his forehead were two red beads that Naruto guessed symbolized some sort of religion or other. He sported a ying-yang emblem around his neck, and from the glare he was giving Naruto and Anko, he wasn't too happy about being caught.

Anko opened the back door, and they tossed the kid inside, binding his hands with a pair of handcuffs that Anko almost always carried around for reasons Naruto didn't want to know. Naruto tossed his keys to Anko, and with a sharp look at her climbed into the driver's seat, turned the key, and shot out of the median. He heard the familiar purr of his Porsche's engine a moment later coming behind him and relaxed. Now that he was in control, he slowed down to the normal speed limit and shot a glare to the man in the backseat.

"What's your name?" he snapped, but in the startlingly calm voice that Itachi had taught him to use. The man turned his head away from him, and Naruto sighed. Alright, they could play that game. So, being the heartless person he was, Naruto jerked the SUV into the other lane, knocking the man off balance before swerving back and sending him in the other direction. At a glance in the rearview mirror, Naruto could guess that the man was getting a little carsick, and he didn't blame him. After a car chase, being rammed off the road, slammed into the side of his own SUV, thrown into the backseat like a sack of potatoes, and getting tossed back and forth without hands to steady himself, anyone would get sick to their stomach.

After a few more minutes of swerving and jerking and slamming on breaks or the gas pedal, Naruto finally turned on a side road and went an even twenty-five. He looked over his shoulder again to see that the man had lay down in the seat and was looking very, very green.

"You gonna talk now?"  
He got a groan in return, and slammed on his breaks again. The man's face seemed to swell and he clamped his mouth shut against whatever was trying to come up his throat. Naruto smirked. "Now?"

"Don't do it again," the man managed, gasping out the words.

"Then talk. What's your name?" Naruto said sharply, and the man moaned.

"Fine, fine," he murmured, and forced himself to sit up. Naruto knew his head had to be spinning, but he didn't reel and threaten to vomit all over the place. Probably didn't want to damage the upholstery. "My name's Kimimaro, okay?"

"Kimimaro what?"

"Kaguya Kimimaro," the man said, swallowing hard. "I'm just in town for a little fun, alright? I'm not doing any harm."

"Sure you're not," Naruto snarled, checking his mirrors to make sure that Anko was following them and not taking his baby for a joy ride. He didn't trust her with his car, but he trusted her even less with this guy they'd just captured. "So, why'd you disobey your boss and come here?"  
Kimimaro scowled. "What are you talking about." He didn't seem to be asking a question, so Naruto let out a bark of laughter.

"You're an idiot if you think we targeted you for no reason," Naruto said, chuckling. "And you're even more of an idiot if you think you're going to go back home to Oto and tell your boss what happened. Because if you do, we'll find you."

It was Kimimaro's turn to laugh. "Yeah, right. Like you could get anywhere near Otogakure without someone killing you first."

"Oh, you don't know us so well here in Konoha, do you?" Naruto taunted, turning down another back road and speeding up again. He was starting to get irritated with this man's games, and if he didn't quit fooling around, something was going to happen.

Kimimaro looked a little confused by his question, but kept his mouth shut and looked out the window. It was then that Naruto noticed how his handcuffed hands were slowly inching towards his waist, even from behind. He slammed on the breaks, nearly making Anko hit him from behind, but causing Kimimaro to fling forward into the back of the passenger seat.

"First off," Naruto growled, turning around and doing his best impersonation of Itachi's meanest look, "if you're going to try and get that gun out of your waistband, you should probably sit behind the drivers seat where it would be harder to see you and easier to aim and shoot. And second, you need an attitude adjustment. You're in our territory now, and from the way your boss runs things, I would imagine you know what happens when you mess with another business."

Kimimaro laughed. He had the audacity to laugh in Naruto's face. He was laughing so hard Naruto was half-suspecting him to collapse into spasms. Kimimaro leaned against the door for support, giggling insanely, and Naruto reached back into the backseat and grabbed him by the front of his shirt.

"Shut it, idiot," he snarled, and tossed him onto the floorboard. "Stay there until we get somewhere, got it?"

He shot off down the road again, Anko waving her arm at him to let him know how irritated she was. He ignored her, though, and urged the SUV to go as fast as it could. The engine moaned in protest, but he didn't care. He was used to the speed of his Porsche, not this old contraption. Besides, he wasn't too fond of big clunky cars like this one. He preferred sleek, fast, sporty cars like his.

He was halfway to his destination when he heard a siren and saw flashing red lights in his rearview mirror. "Damn it." He reluctantly started to peel over to the side of the road and stopped, reached back and knocking Kimimaro on the side of the face to remind him to stay down on the floorboard. He put on his best face and rolled down the window. The cop glared at him from beneath dark sunglasses.

"What did you think you were doing, sir?" the cop wanted to know, and Naruto, playing the innocent card, shrugged.

"Going to work, sir. You see, I have to get there soon because the coffee bean shipment was supposed to have been in today and it's late so I've gotta call—" He didn't get a chance to finish, for at that moment a beautiful black Porsche shot by them, and his jaw dropped. He liked to go fast, but he knew how to handle his car. And Anko had never driven it before. That witch!  
The cop was looking after it, too, and tossed a piece of paper to Naruto without thinking before rushing off to his car and speeding after the Porsche. Naruto caught the paper, scanned it, and laughed as he rolled up his window. A warning. A damn warning for going as fast as he'd been? Well, at least his passenger hadn't been discovered.

He looked back, and saw Kimimaro glaring at him from the floorboard, his gun in his hands. Naruto's eyebrows went up, but he easily reached back and went for Kimimaro's wrist. The man shot, and it went through the roof of the car. Naruto shrugged.

"Go ahead, man. It's your ride."

Kimimaro seemed to contemplate this for a moment, decide it wasn't good to ruin his ride, and put the gun down. Naruto snatched it up before the other man could change his mind, set it on his lap (after unloading it, of course), and took off again. Anko had better not get a ticket or let that cop see his license plate. If she did, he'd throttle her.



"Idiot," Hyuga Hiashi muttered under his breath as he looked at his youngest daughter. "I can't believe you."

"What?" Hanabi asked, glaring right back at him. "He made an offer and I took it. You've always told us to make our own choices," she reminded him, and he snorted.

"I've always told you to make smart choices, Hanabi, not stupid ones." He began pacing back and forth, and Hanabi rolled her eyes. He always got this way, especially when she did something he didn't want her to. They Hyuga family had always been part of ANBU, and the second she decided to follow footsteps other than her father's she was put down.

"Cousin Neji did it," she said easily, knowing just how to handle her father. Sure, they shared the same white eyes and dark hair, but they were complete opposites. He believed in heritage and fate and following what your father did before you and all that nonsense. She, on the other hand, yearned for adventure, to follow her own dreams and not what everyone else told her to do.

"Your cousin Neji," Hiashi snarled, saying the name with spite, "is another idiot this family cannot afford to have killed. He is one of the most intelligent men we have, but for all those brains he has no sense to him. And you're going to be just like him."

Hanabi stayed quiet, letting her father get it all out and calm down. It was just like him to overreact this way. He hadn't tried to buckle Neji down when he'd made this choice. He was just a stupid, grumpy old man who didn't know what he was talking about. If he even tried to understand her, she was sure he'd be proud of her. But he wouldn't. He stayed stuck in his ways. She'd always said that whatever went into that man's mind never came out. Get an idea in his head and you couldn't change it, no matter what you did.

"I can't believe you're so stupid!" Hiashi went on in a very, very loud voice. "How could you try and do something as dangerous as take his offer? It's not what you're meant to do, and damn it I'm not going to let you! I've had enough of all your cockamamie ideas, your backtalk and your attitude. You're going to join ANBU like I did when I was your age and you're going to like it. Do you get it?"  
"No, Dad, I don't get it," Hanabi whispered, and found herself face-to-face with her father, his nose not even inches from hers.

"What did you say?" he growled in such a low voice it almost sent shivers up her spine, but she stopped them before he could see any sign of weakness.

"I said that I'm not going to join ANBU," Hanabi said, louder this time, and lifted her chin. "I'm tired of you bossing me around and trying to make me do something I don't want to do. I'm going to take his offer and you can't do anything to stop me! Do you get it?!"

She spun on her heel and headed for the door, fuming. He had never understood how she thought, what her goals in life were. He just knew what he wanted and didn't care about how anyone else felt. She hurried through the front door, making sure her car keys were in her pocket, and fumbled with the handle of her rusty old Volkswagen. Once she was inside, she dug her cell phone out of the pocket of her jeans and hit her cousin's number. If anything, Neji would support her and give her the help she needed. He understood how weird her dad was.

And, she though as she drove away from her house in the part of town where all the Hyuga's (except Neji) lived, maybe he would give her a place to stay until she and Hiashi sorted things out.



The six people at the table howled with laughter at the story Tenten had just told. She grinned and giggled along, enjoying the tale as much as they were. No matter how many times she retold how Neji, in his younger years, had gotten it into his head to sneak into Haruno Sakura's house at night to scare her, since she'd thrown sand at him the day before for stealing her lollipop. Imagine his surprise when he crept into her front lawn to see a huge dog running loose, right towards him.

Tenten, who'd been there to see the whole thing, had watched as Neji wet his pants as the dog jumped on him and started licking his face wildly.

"It was a huge dog, I'm telling you," Neji grumbled, crossing his arms and refusing to join into the laughter. Tenten playfully punched his arm, and he allowed a small smile.  
Naruto chuckled and rubbed his chest. "Aw, Neji, I knew that dog. It was a freakin' terrier dog. No bigger than a cat."

This caused another eruption of laughter, and Neji sank deeper into his chair, sulking. They were in Itachi's kitchen, just hanging around because they had nothing better to do at the moment. And it was pretty fun to hear of Neji's childish exploits. Neji, Tenten, Kisame, Asuma, and Kurenai had been at the house for various reasons. Naruto had found them all in the kitchen after dropping off his "package," getting his car back from Anko, and sending the woman off on another mission Itachi had lined up for her.

Kimimaro really hadn't been that much trouble, and a few minutes ago, Naruto had seen him drive off in his SUV with the bullet hole in it. Whatever Itachi had said to him, it must have been mean, because Naruto had never seen anyone book it out of the house as fast as Kimimaro had. Or maybe he was just in trouble with his boss. Oh, well. It didn't concern him anymore.

After calling home to make sure Sakura was okay, Naruto had joined his friends in the kitchen. Now, he pulled a deck of cards out of his pocket and waved it tantalizingly in the air.

"Who's up for a game of bullshit?" he asked, and the others murmured their agreement. He had started dealing out cards when Neji's phone rang and the Hyuga stood up from the table, holding one finger out to signal he'd be back in a second. Naruto continued to deal, making a neat pile for Neji, but when Neji came back in the room, he took the pile back up.

"Gotta go," he muttered, reaching for his keys and his wallet. "My cousin just got an offer from Itachi and she got into an argument with her dad about it. She needs somewhere to stay for a while."

"I'll come with you," Tenten said, and Neji nodded, probably needing all the help he could get. He wasn't good with emotional people, and Hanabi tended to lean towards the worst possible emotions—anger, fury, and crying. How he hated crying. Ugh.

Naruto rolled his eyes, took up Tenten's hand, too, and kept on dealing as the two walked out. The moment they were out of the room, he grinned. "When are those two finally gonna get a hotel room together?"

Asuma shrugged and chewed on a toothpick as he organized his cards. "I dunno. But it better be soon, because if I have to deal with Neji's blushing problem every time her name comes up any longer, I'm going to flip."

"I agree," Kurenai said, sneaking a glance over Asuma's shoulder at his cards. He held them to his chest, looking offended, and she smiled.

"Ah, well, they'll get together soon enough," Kisame said in his coarse voice, and threw out a face-down card. "Ace of spades."

Naruto drew out two cards and tossed them also face-down on top of Kisame's card. "Two two's."

Asuma threw down one card. "One three."

"Bull," Kurenai said simply, and Asuma glared good-naturedly before picking up the pile in the middle of the table. Kurenai put her three cards down. "Three fours."

"Hey, by the way," Asuma said, looking at Naruto as Kisame made his move, throwing down two fives, "how're you and Sakura doing?"

"Pretty good," Naruto said, smiling at the thought of his longtime girlfriend. "You know, I never thought I would have a relationship like the one I have now. It's…amazing, really. Sakura and I have really connected."

"Aw!" Kurenai said, smiling warmly at the blonde man. "That's wonderful, Naruto." He grinned back at her. Kurenai may be ANBU, but she was a sweet, smart woman. And if he said anything other than that, her husband, Asuma, would beat him up. The only reason she was allowed in Itachi's house was because she was married to Asuma, and although he was petrified she'd get hurt, he'd rather have her in sight than have to worry about her being home alone.

"Why don't you go ahead and tie the not?" Kisame asked, then called bull on Asuma again, who picked up the large pile and added it to his hand. "You're a really bad card player, you know that, Asuma?"  
"Yeah, yeah," Asuma muttered, organizing his cards. "So anyway, why haven't you asked Sakura to marry you, Naruto?"

Naruto shrugged, becoming uncomfortable under the pressure. He had thought for a long time about asking Sakura to marry him, but the timing didn't seem right. And he didn't want to push her into something that she might not be ready for, or risk their great relationship. He wasn't sure if marriage was right for them, and until he was, he wasn't going to do anything to make her uncomfortable.

"I dunno. It just doesn't seem right," he finally answered after his friends' stares bore into him for a few moments. But he was at least glad that Asuma nodded his agreement.

"You should be absolutely sure before you do anything," he said, and Kurenai scoffed. "What?"

"Are you kidding me?" Her black hair swung as she quickly turned her head to glare at him in amazement. "After it took you ten years to even ask me on a date? Oh, come off it." She looked at the rest of them and jerked a thumb in her husband's direction. "I asked him to homecoming and prom every single year we were in high school and every single time he turned me down. And then, after we graduated college and both went our separate career paths, he asked me on a date. It took him three more years to propose. Do you understand how much torture that was for me?"

Asuma shrugged. "Eh, I figured that if I made you wait, you'd be more likely to jump into a commitment."

"You're an ass," Kurenai accused, throwing down her cards. "Your turn, Kisame."

As they continued to play their game of cards, Naruto's mind was whirring nonstop, going over what Kurenai and Asuma had just said. He had never made Sakura wait—she'd turned him down dozens of times before finally accepting. What would happen if he asked her to marry him? Would she say no? Would she say yes? If she did say no, what would happen then? Would she leave and find another boyfriend or stay with him until she was ready to marry?

He cursed under his breath and threw the rest of his cards onto the table before standing up and heading for the door. He ignored the stares he could feel boring into his retreating back, flung the kitchen door open, and headed for his car. He really, really needed to see Sakura right now.

* * *

**Okie doke, there you have it. Naruto's indecision, Hanabi and her father's strained relationship, Sakura's guilt, Shikamaru and Ino's wierd love-hate-fun relationship. Wow. Hey, I told you there' d be plot twists, didn't I? **

**Anyway, REVIEW PLEASE!!!**

**Luv much**

**Nicola**


	4. Chapter 4

**Phew. School is hectic, and it doesn't help that I have a helluva lot of things to do during the week and on weekends. Plus with Christmas coming up...jeez. **

**Anyway, here's the new chapter, I really hope you like it! Especially the ending...muahahahahahahaha!**

**Luv much  
Nicola**

* * *

Kakashi looked around his bland office, at the piles of papers crowded on the desk and the misshapen shelves of books. His shoes were cast aside near his turned-over wastebasket, crumpled up pieces of paper and old news magazines dotted his floor, and for some reason he couldn't locate the telephone. Never before in his life had he been so disorganized, but for the past few weeks (with his consistent insomnia and now the worry over a possible mob war) he'd been unable to focus on being neat.

No one had come to bother him, thank goodness, and there hadn't been any calls other than one during which he realized he couldn't locate his phone, and whatever Good Samaritan calling had been knocked off the line. Oh, well. It wasn't his problem. It was those damn janitors who had written his office off as a disaster zone. Like he was supposed to clean up his own office after a long day of hard work. Humph.

He stretched, yawned, and rubbed his face. It was noon, he was hungry, and yet he lacked the energy necessary to get up and either find the phone to order food or walk out into the main part of the ANBU station and steal pizza from the other guys. Maybe if he just hollered, someone would come and ask what's wrong, and he could con whoever came into getting him a slice of pepperoni…

A loud, annoying ringing startled him out of his rather pleasant daydream, and he grumbled as he recognized the sound of his telephone. Now he would have to find the stupid thing and answer it, or else he'd get yelled at by the Commissioner. Cheh. He heaved up from his chair and started digging through the mass of papers as he attempted to find the source of the ringing.

There! He snatched up the receiver of the simple gray telephone and answered, "Hello? Erm, I mean, ANBU headquarters. Kakashi speaking, how may I help you?"

A frantic voice on the other end of the line replied, "Oh, thank Kami! I got through! Please, please, I need someone to come quick! I can't find my son!"

"Ma'am, ma'am," Kakashi said soothingly, scribbling down the address that popped up on his computer screen. The caller ID was connected to the modem, which traced the phone number and found the caller's name, address, etc, and transmitted it to the screen. "We have your address; we'll be there in a few minutes. Now, tell me exactly what happened," he added as he buzzed in Nara Shikaku and handed him the address along with the situation. Shikaku nodded and left.

"My little boy!" the woman wailed, and Kakashi sighed. He was a good person to have around during a crisis, since he kept a level head. But he couldn't stand people who panicked and had no idea what to do except call the cops and let someone else handle it.

He listened with a patient ear to what the woman was saying, writing down the important details of what she recalled, and thinking the entire time why a mother would let her kid do that in the first place.



Sakura picked up her cell phone on the second run of her boppy ring tone, flipping it open and holding it to her ear. "Hello."

"Hey, sweetheart," Naruto's voice came over the line. "Whatcha up to?"  
Smiling, Sakura finished putting peanut butter onto her sandwich and pressed the two pieces of bread together. Naruto had left early this morning on some assignment from Itachi, and promised to be home for dinner. It was only lunch, but she really wanted him home with her, although hearing his voice made it a little more bearable

"Making a sandwich," she answered as she sliced the bread into two triangular pieces. She carried her plate and a cup of soda over to the table (while hopping on one foot), sat down, and bit into it. "What are you doing?"  
Naruto chuckled. "Nothing much. Just hanging out with some guys here at work, you know, waiting around for something to do."

"Aw, you can come home," Sakura tried to entice, biting into her sandwich and taking a swig of soda. "And hang around with me."

She heard Naruto chuckle. "Yeah, but I'm 'on call' until later tonight, about dinnertime, so I have to stay here or else I'll be running out of the house every five minutes. Sorry, sweetie."  
Sakura sighed. "Yeah, okay. But you'll be home by six, right?"

"Uh, yeah, why?" Naruto asked, sounding a little nervous, and Sakura giggled.

"Because there's a movie marathon going on, for Halloween, you know. It's only a week away!" She was rather excited about the idea of dressing up and handing out candy to the little kids. It wasn't as if she hadn't done it before, but seeing children's faces light up at the sight of a few pieces of candy was just something she loved. She never got happy looks like that working in the hospital. All she received were glares and miserable moans.

"Oh, alright," Naruto agreed, sounding relieved. He'd probably thought she'd meant to make him sit through hours of sappy romance movies, she figured with a silent snicker. One of these days she was going to trick him into it, and tie him down to the couch if necessary. Besides, those movies weren't sappy or anything. They were good!

"Okay." She bit into her sandwich again, chewing slowly. "See you then?"

"Yup! Love you!"

"Love you, too," she replied, and hung up. Once her sandwich was finished, she made her way into the living room, awkwardly carrying the soda in her hand while hobbling on crutches. She situated herself on the couch, took a swig of her coke, and flipped on the television to the news. Normally she refrained from watching the news at all costs for fear of hearing about something that might have happened to Naruto, but since she'd just gotten off the phone with him, and knew he was okay, she felt like seeing what was going on in the world.

Some newswoman was talking, the October wind whipping her somehow perfect hair around her face, creating an illusion of perfectly windblown hair. Sakura scoffed, wondering how much hairspray had to be used to make that effect. Turning up the volume, she tried to ignore the immaculate woman and focus more instead on what she was saying.

"…of the missing boy have not been discovered, and a massive search party has been organized to try and find him. If you're just tuning in, nine-year-old Tornazu Miruko has been missing since earlier this morning. He disappeared from—get this—the parents' kitchen. How on earth that happens, I don't know. But his mother claims that she left to put laundry in the washing machine in the basement, and when she came up he wasn't there. She says she didn't hear anything from the basement, not a scream or a thud or a door opening."

Sakura silently mouthed a "wow" as she looked at the picture of the little boy. Poor thing. He had dark hair, green eyes, and a tooth missing in the front. The typing on the screen said he'd last been seen in a navy blue shirt and a pair of jeans. Sakura couldn't imagine being the mother of a child who had disappeared from their own kitchen. What had happened for this kid to just vanish all of a sudden? It was nearly impossible for someone to break in, kidnap a kid, and get out without a witness hearing it all.

She shook her head and turned the volume down again, not really wanting to hear this part of the news. Since when had a child's kidnapping become primetime television? It wasn't a good thing; it didn't make good news, at least not in Sakura's mind. Really! Hearing about a child being taken from the safety of home wasn't something she wanted to hear about for days on end until a body was found, and then hear about that for three more weeks.

Of course, people were so sick-minded in the world that they probably got a kick out of it. She sighed and swallowed another mouthful of soda, finishing off the can. She aimed, threw, and made it into the trash can by the coffee table. She pumped her fist into the air in triumph. Finally. Usually she missed by a mile and Naruto would show her up by making it with room to spare.

Then, she heard a name that caught her attention. She scrambled for the remote, punched the volume button, and listened intently.

"Yes, that's right, a ransom note has been found. Reportedly it was signed by the initials U.S. There are only a few people in this city or with ties to Konohagakure with those initials, and a search is being conducted. Those who have the most motive will be questioned thoroughly and the ANBU will go from there. Back to you."

Sakura threw the remote down and tuned out the sound of the news anchor droning on about some gas prices or something. The gears were turning, and she felt her hands shaking. Her heart thudded desperately against her ribs, causing a dull ache in her chest. She couldn't believe it. Would he have sunk so low as to kidnapping? Would the distant but caring in his own way boy she'd grown up with do something as rash and stupid as this? Wouldn't he have known that the ANBU would catch him? Oh, Kami.

She knew only one person with those initials, and the thought of him being here, so close to home, horrified her. She'd separated herself from him the moment she found out about his future plans, and wasn't keen on rekindling their friendship. Hell, their "friendship" had barely been that! No, she didn't want him here, and she only knew one person who had the power to get rid of him. With a swallow, she picked up her cell phone again and hit the redial button. She'd only called one person that day.

The moment he picked up, she gasped out, "We've got a problem."



Kabuto chuckled lightly to himself as he set down his cell phone and looked at the pale man standing a few feet away. "Sasuke-kun has completed his mission, Orochimaru-sama. There's no doubt about it—Itachi knows we're serious. And, of course, he's not going to try and get back the kid. That's not his style."

"Of course," Orochimaru agreed, his sickeningly sinister smile creasing his face. "I cannot wait for Sasuke-kun's return with his prize. Poor child. He never had a chance." He sighed, as if this greatly pained him, and glanced at the door a split second before it opened. Kabuto watched as Orochimaru's face sunk into a glare when Kimimaro walked in, looking a little beat up, and slightly green. He knew that the white-haired man had run off to Konoha, but for him to come back in this condition would only infuriate Orochimaru more.

He shook his head at the apologetic look on Kimimaro's face, wondering what their boss would do this time to him.

"Orochimaru-sama, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to get caught," he babbled, looking flustered and nervous. And he had a right to be, by the vicious look on the mob warlord's face.

"No, no, you're not sorry about leaving. You're sorry about getting caught," Orochimaru said quietly, licking his lips. "But, alas, I do not think I can be mad at you."  
Kabuto started. What? This couldn't be possible—Orochimaru just had to be upset with Kimimaro. The man had left without being told and had been captured by the enemy to boot. Was Orochimaru out of his mind? No, Kabuto sternly told himself as he watched his boss walk around the busted up Kimimaro. Orochimaru knew exactly what he was doing at all times, and never made mistakes. He had a plan for everything.

"You distracted Itachi and his little 'gang' of Yakuza from what was really going on under his nose. Good job, Kimimaro," Orochimaru applauded, and Kimimaro looked just as stunned as Kabuto felt. Kabuto blinked, raised his eyebrow at the white-haired man, and walked out of the room.

He had not been expecting that.



Shikamaru didn't knock. He just walked right on through the front door and into the foyer, looking around at the lavish house before him. Sure, he'd known Uchiha Itachi was rich, but to be this rich was insane. Course, so was his boss, so he shouldn't be complaining at all.

After his little rendezvous with Ino (and a wonderful rendezvous it had been), he'd hurried to prepare for his meeting with Itachi. And now, with his suit crisp and fresh, his hair neatly slicked back into a dark brown ponytail, he strode down the hallway with an air of confidence. He didn't mind running into anyone that might, and probably were, out to get him. He was known as the lawyer of Orochimaru, the infamous Bouryokudan warlord. And that gave him power, an almost political immunity of sorts that tended to be illegal in every way.

He smirked at the idea of one of Itachi's men restraining him and throwing him into Itachi's office like he was a piece of trash. No one had ever treated him that way and damn it he was going to make sure no one ever did. He held a position of power in the world they lived in. No one could touch him.

But he was, sadly, proven wrong when several men burst out of a side doorway that apparently led to a kitchen. They just about ran him over, and one of them stopped in their tracks, staring hard at him. Shikamaru glared right back, immediately recognizing a childhood friend. Uzumaki Naruto.

"Naruto," he said as calmly and as nicely as he could in their current situation. He'd forgotten that Naruto, spontaneous, impulsive Naruto, worked for Itachi, and since they didn't have such a good track record, this little meeting wasn't what he would call a "reunion," because it certainly wasn't a good thing.

"Shikamaru," Naruto growled, clenching his fists. The other two men had also stopped and were now standing behind Shikamaru, cracking their knuckles. "What the hell are you doing here?"

He shrugged, being nonchalant in hopes that Naruto's anger would diminish if he seemed unconcerned. "Just looking for a little meeting between friends, is all."

Naruto snorted. "No one here is your friend, Benedict. So why don't you go ahead and scurry on out of here." He didn't say it like an invitation, more as an order, and Shikamaru scowled. Okay, he would put up with Naruto's irritating voice and annoying attitude, but when the blonde started throwing around orders, even this shirker got unnerved.

"Nope, not gonna happen." Shikamaru smiled as he slipped past his old comrade. "It was nice seeing you again, Naruto. Maybe next time we can do lunch." The second he was behind the astonished and furious blonde man, he walked as fast as he could without being overly frightened. He'd let Naruto have his little pleasure in thinking he'd been even mildly threatening. For now, at least.

He heard Naruto walking briskly down the hall after him, the other two men right behind him. Shikamaru shook his head as he stopped in front of Itachi's door (it was obviously his door because it was so heavily guarded), and reached out to knock.

The next thing he knew, he was being suspended upside down by two pairs of strong hands. His ponytail just barely scraped the polished wooden floor, and his jacket hung beside his ears. He scowled, irritated at having been tackled by the two burly guards. Okay, well, they weren't all that burly, but apparently under those suits they had some muscles.

The one on his left, a sadistic, strange grin on his face, had long blonde hair that covered the left side of his face, yellow-tinted glasses, and a striped collared button down with a matching tie. Hmm. He knew how to accessorize—everything was a shade of yellow, orange, or brown.

The second man holding Shikamaru by the ankles just looked utterly bored to be there. Red-haired, blue-eyed, and indifferent, this one was probably the stronger of the two. He seemed to be the burden-bearing one, the person who did everything and endured everything his partner seemed to think was amusing, but at a price. Shikamaru decided he would rather be dealing with the blonde guy and not his companion.

"Can you let me down now, please?" he asked impatiently, crossing his arms over his chest. He could still be indignant, even if he was upside down. "I don't appreciate your hostility."

The blonde one scoffed. "As if we care what you 'appreciate,' Nara." He rolled his eyes behind his tinted glasses and shook the black-haired man's ankle. "So shut it while we figure out what to do with you."

"I suggest," began the red-head, continuing to look bored, "that we let Boss figure out how he wants this situation handled. It is, after all, his house, and this…intruder should be his responsibility." For the first time, Shikamaru noticed a strange—and frightening—quality to the red-head's voice. It sounded almost like…hunger, that the idea of killing an intruder was appetizing to him. It sent shivers down Shikamaru's spine that he struggled to fight against. He had a bad feeling that showing weakness in front of these men would result in his untimely demise.

"Oh, I agree," came a slow, unnervingly calm voice from the door. All Shikamaru could see were a pair of shiny black shoes, attached to a pair of long black pants under which, he hoped, were two legs. Once again he felt shivers on his spine, but he ignored them and put on a mask of confidence. He knew who this was—and if he showed any sign of being afraid, the man would eat it up.

"Itachi," he greeted calmly, gesturing as if he were right side up and addressing a longtime friend. "How nice of you to come and call off your guards. I was coming for a visit when I was mistakenly ambushed." He chuckled, even though behind his arrogance he felt more fear than he had the first time he'd been around Orochimaru, and he hadn't even seen Itachi's face yet.

It was the way he moved, the way he talked and the way the two guards bristled at the sight of him standing in the doorway that gave Shikamaru the chills. There was an air about him that exuded danger and confidence, something that just made those forced to be in his presence fall to their knees and beg for mercy, even if he hadn't done a single thing other than greet them with that creepy, always calm voice. Shikamaru had been looking forward to his visit with Itachi, but now, hanging upside down and at the mercy of this man, he was starting to regret his decision. Of course, it hadn't really been his decision in the first place, anyway. Stupid Orochimaru.



Sakura bit her lip and smiled as kindly as she could at Tsunade, whose brow was furrowed as she looked at the pink-haired woman's ankle. Sakura really, really hoped that by some miracle she'd be able to switch to wearing a brace instead of using those dumb crutches. They made her clumsier than usual, which was pretty bad in itself.

Even though it had only been a few days, stubborn as always Sakura had decided after her conversation with Naruto to see if Tsunade knew of another way to fix her ankle without the frustrating, clunky crutches. Whatever way Tsunade would come up with—and Sakura just knew the older woman would come up with one—it would work, and she was more than willing to try it out.

Tsunade looked up from her examination, walked over to a cabinet, and started digging around in it. Sakura watched her anxiously. Tsunade had probably found something that would help her situation. When the head surgeon resurfaced, she was holding a slim black brace in her hand, one of which Sakura had seen only once before, when Tsunade herself had screwed up her ankle. Tsunade walked over to her co-worker and put the brace on her ankle, tightening small knobs and straps here and there to make sure it was stabilized.

"There," she said triumphantly, smiling. "You'll be just fine with that brace. Just don't do anything too extreme. No running for long distances, no skating, no horseback riding—as if you'd ride a horse anyway—or anything like that. Okay?"

"Yup!" Sakura hopped down, gently, and hugged Tsunade quickly. "Thank you so much. I was starting to get worried. I got an invitation to a ball this afternoon, and since Naruto is bound to go, I didn't want to have to go with him on crutches!"  
"Ah, yes, I received a similar invitation," Tsunade replied, looking thoughtful. "It surprised me that Uchiha Itachi would be hosting a black and white ball on Halloween of all days. Oh, well. It's only about a week or so away, and we've got to get shopping." She waved as Sakura limped lightly out of the office. "See you soon, Sakura!"

Sakura waved back, absent minded for the strange-feeling brace on her leg. She wasn't accustomed to having it on, and it would take a little while before she was used to it. Wasn't like she had to get anywhere quickly, was it? One glance at the clock on her cell phone gave her an answer, and she grimaced. Naruto was supposed to be home soon—it was almost five o'clock, and if she wasn't home before then, he would flip out again. He wouldn't have any reason to, but still, he would.

With a shrug, she decided to forget about what worries Naruto might have if he came home and found her gone. It was a lot easier, and nicer, to think about the ball that was coming up. Oh, it was going to be so much fun! She needed to go shopping right away for the perfect dress, and Naruto would have to get a suit, and she knew just the person to help her out. She'd call Ino when she got home.

She didn't have much time to get used to her brace on the walk home, though, because about one block away she heard the roar of an engine and then the screech of breaks as a black Porsche skidded to a stop next to the sidewalk. She grinned, recognizing the car, and slipped into the passenger seat. One look told her that Naruto wasn't angry with her—he had his Cheshire cat grin on, meaning he was up to something good.

"What did you pick me up for?" she asked, unable to stop smiling as they drove away from the curb, heading towards the main part of the city. "I could've walked! And I'm not even dressed nice!"

Naruto ignored her attempts at pouting. "Oh, we're going out for a fun night on the town. But first, we're going shopping."

Okay, Sakura had seen strange, grotesque, and even vomit-inducing things in her line of work, but nothing shocked her more than hearing Naruto say "we" and "shopping" in a sentence without the works "are not going" in between. She could only stare blankly at her longtime boyfriend while they careened at an un-Godly pace down the highway. Never in her life had she heard him actually bring up shopping. He hated it with all of his heart, despised even the slightest mention of sales at a department store. So what was with the sudden need to shop? Not that she was complaining or anything…

"Umm…okay, but may I ask why?" she finally asked, finding her voice after several long moments in shock. "You hate shopping."

"Yeah, I know," Naruto said cheerily, weaving in and out of lanes in a way that normally would have made her threaten to jump out of the car if he didn't stop.

She blinked in disbelief. "But…you hate shopping."  
"I get that," he chuckled, and swerved down their designated exit. "We are going to go out shopping and have fun."

Still shocked, she shook her head and said, "You aren't _getting_ it. You _hate_ shopping. With a _passion_. There is nothing in the _world_ that can get you to go _shopping_."

Naruto laughed again and slowed down as they entered the parking lot of the mall. "Sakura, I get it. But today I want to go shopping, for you. We're going to be getting you a whole bunch of new clothes, especially something to wear to the ball Itachi's holding." He paused. "I assume you got the invitation, right?"

Feeling giddy, Sakura nodded fervently, "Yes! And I can't—hang on a sec, are we going dress shopping?" When Naruto's grin widened, she reached over and put her hand on his forehead. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm just fine Sakura, don't worry," he assured her, parking the car and unlocking the doors. "Now, let's go find you a pretty dress to wear."

She got out of the Porsche, ignoring the jealous looks in the elegant, foreign car's direction. Everyone tended to stare at Naruto's Porsche everywhere it went. It was just part of the whole car's attraction. Really, it was a gorgeous car.

Sakura still couldn't understand fifteen minutes later as she tried on a black strapless dress in one of the dressing rooms at the mall. What had put Naruto in such a good mood? Had he had a little too much to drink while "on call"? Or was it that he was feeling guilty because of the way he tended to overreact? She really hoped it was the second one.

As she stared at herself in the mirror, her slim figure accented by the dress, she wondered if she would be able to find a halfway decent dress that was long enough to cover her ankle brace. Personally, she wanted a white dress that flared out from the waist like those old-style dresses did. And Naruto would wear a gorgeous black suit with tails, and his blonde hair would, as always, be stylishly tousled, and he would look absolutely handsome on her arm, holding open doors and dancing elegantly with her…goodness, she couldn't wait!

Then, she froze, her green eyes wide. Wait. Hadn't she told Naruto earlier about a certain set of initials she'd heard on the news? Hadn't Naruto flipped out and rushed into action only a few hours before? What the hell was he doing out with her instead of looking for that person? And suddenly, she knew. He was keeping her busy, out of trouble, out of the line of fire in case anything happened. Now that she was thinking about it, when he'd driven up his smile had been a little strained, almost forced, and although his voice had been cheerfully, his eyes hadn't sparkled like they should. Her astonishment at Naruto actually willingly going shopping (much less bringing up the subject) had distracted her.

She didn't need protection from anything or anyone! She could damn well take care of herself, even with a sprained ankle! Naruto had to stop this—it was starting to really tick her off. He didn't need to be so protective over her, to shield her from the world he'd chosen to live in. She had taken on the danger the moment she'd first accepted a date from the exuberant blonde. She'd decided to live with the constant threat and fear and worry, to suck it up and be strong for Naruto.

And here he was being the protective boyfriend and keeping her in the dark!

"Naruto," she said sweetly, peeking out of the door to see a grinning Naruto willingly holding her purse in his lap as he sat outside her dressing room. "Can I talk to you a moment in here, please?"

"Oh, sure, Sakura," he quickly agreed, and slipped inside next to her.

"You jerk!"

She didn't smack him like she normally would—she punched him. Flat-out punched him on the cheek and knocked him to the ground. He held his reddening face as he gained his bearings on the floor, sitting up and staring at her in shock.

"Sakura! What did you hit me for?" he demanded in a hurt voice, and she couldn't keep the anger from her eyes.

Her fists shook at her sides, and she could feel her chin trembling. "Who do you think you are? Trying to distract me while your buddies go out and try to find Sasuke? Huh?" When he didn't answer, she pulled him to his feet by his collar and pushed him against the wall. "Huh?! Tell me!"

Naruto looked stunned—and insulted—but she didn't care at the present moment. She wanted him to admit that he'd taken her out shopping, his least favorite thing in the world, to keep her from harm. She knew in her heart of hearts that he was doing it because he cared so much for her, but dammit she didn't want him fawning over her like she was going to collapse if someone so much as touched her.

"Naruto," she said, much quieter and gentler now, "I really, really don't appreciate you taking me shopping because you don't want me in the middle of the search for Sasuke. I get that you're trying to protect me, but come on, Naruto, I'm not completely helpless. Look, I even got off my crutches."

Her calmed words seemed to help a little bit, but Naruto still took several minutes to find his voice and nurse his wounded cheek, and wounded heart. He finally stood slowly, and reached out to touch Sakura's shoulder.

"Sakura," he said quietly, his big blue eyes wide and concerned, "I just don't want you to get hurt. And, well, I knew that Sasuke is a sore spot, for both of us," he added at her little grunt of protest. "Being around him would make me go nuts, and it certainly wouldn't help me get home to you in one piece, believe me. So I thought that if we both got out of the house for a little while, we'd avoid situations like that tonight. Okay?"

With a sigh, Sakura nodded. What he said made sense. Not only would the sight of Sasuke make Sakura flip and relive those terrible memories, it would send Naruto into a fury, fists flying and nasty comments shooting out in every direction. The risk was great for everyone. Naruto could get hurt, she could get hurt, one of Itachi's other men could get hurt. Hell, even Sasuke could be injured by any sort of confrontation. Although, that might make it worth the trouble.

"I'm sorry, Naruto," she whispered, smiling. "I guess I overreacted, sort of like how you overreact about everything. Maybe I should try on a different dress. This one is making me short-tempered."

Naruto laughed and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips. "I don't blame ya hon. It's smokin', but just not you." He looked her up and down approvingly, let out an "Mmm" of approval, and walked out. "Which one do you want now?"

"Umm….find me a white one!" she said, still uncertain about her little outburst over what had been an obvious situation that she just had to overlook. Of course Naruto wouldn't want to see Sasuke, either. It was just plain stupid to put the two of them in the same room without chains to hold 'em down.

She felt terribly guilty about hitting Naruto, not just smacking, but punching him in the face. There was going to be a huge bruise there, and he'd have to explain to his buddies where he got it from. They'd laugh him out of the mansion if he told them the truth, that his girlfriend had decked him in the dressing room of a ladies dress department store. There would be no escaping that one.

A few minutes later, Naruto flung a white dress over the door and Sakura held it out in front of her to look at. Oh, Kami. He had no taste whatsoever. "Naruto! This thing is hideous!"

She heard a chuckle and his hand reached over for the dress. "Just joking with you, babe." He tossed another white dress over the door, grabbed the ugly one, and sat down, still laughing.

Lips curled, she skeptically studied the dress, and immediately fell in love.

It was absolutely gorgeous. It was strapless, with a tight-fitting torso emblazoned with bead designs. The skirt flowed out from the waist into a circle, ruffled and flared all the way to the ground. It was long enough that no one would see her brace, but not too long that she couldn't wear flats. The dress was perfect.

"Oh!" she gasped, already taking off the black dress to try on the white one. "Naruto, I can't believe you found this!"

"Aw, I found it days ago. Boss gave me a heads up about this party of his and I searched for the perfect dress for you." She could hear the sheepishness and the love in his voice, and her heart swelled. "You deserve it."

Once she'd put the white dress on and admired her reflection in the mirror for a moment, she threw the door open and pulled Naruto into a hug. "I love you!"

Naruto chuckled and hugged her back, swinging her around in a quick circle before placing her back on the ground. He touched the tip of her nose, saying, "You'd better change again." Then, he leaned around to the other side of the dressing room cubicle, reaching for something, and surfaced holding a pair of khakis and a silky deep green shirt. "Into this, I mean."

Completely and utterly stunned, and with a squeal of excitement, Sakura snatched the clothes from him, slammed the door shut, and started changing. The deep green blouse was a button down, and went beautifully with her bright emerald eyes. She admired it, the smooth, slippery texture of it, the way it felt on her skin. The sleeves went down to her elbows, then flared out, reaching halfway down her forearm. And the moment she tried on the khakis, she knew she was going to wear them pretty often. They fit absolutely perfectly in the waist and the hips, ending in miniature bell-bottoms.

One fluff of her hair, and she was out of the dressing room and clutching Naruto's hand, the dress flung over her other arm. "Let's go!"



Two hours later, Sakura was seated in the passenger seat of Naruto's Porsche, going for another ride with music blasting the speakers. This time, it was his music, not-too-heavy rock/alternative songs whose words she already had memorized, and she had to admit, it was pretty good. He'd opened the moon roof, and currently, her hands were flung out of the top as she sang. Naruto was singing, too, just as loudly and obnoxiously as she was. The music was cranked up so loud that people at red lights (which Naruto ran if he happened to be in front, which he usually was), stared yelled obscenities, but they couldn't hear for the thumping and blasting coming form the speakers.

Naruto had taken her out shopping, bought her a new outfit, a new dress, let her choose the restaurant and whatever she wanted to have for dinner, and now they were just taking a joyride in the Porsche. What an amazing night.

Only one thing could ruin such a great time.

They were purring idly behind a van full of kids at a stoplight, their music still blaring as loudly as they pleased, when someone next to them revved their engine. Naruto didn't seem to hear at first, but Sakura did, and she turned the music up louder to keep him from noticing. She grabbed onto his hand, making him dance with her for the few seconds they'd be sitting at the light. But for some reason, the light wouldn't' change as quickly as it should have. She stared at it with horrified eyes, wondering what would happen if Naruto happened to get into a race with whoever was next to them.

Their neighbor's car growled temptingly again, and this time Naruto heard. He swiveled his head, grinning like a fox that'd just caught its dinner, and revved back. Sakura allowed herself to look, and gasped. It was one of the new silver Jaguar's, one that Naruto had been coveting ever since she'd first bought him the calendar with its picture for August. The Jaguar was sleek, shimmering, and dangerous. Not only could it go from zero to sixty in about two seconds, but it could easily keep up with the Porsche, meaning that Naruto would push his car past its limits just to win.

"Naruto," she hissed under her breath, grabbing onto his arm as he watched the red light. "Don't do this. There're kids up in that van!"

Shrugging her hand off, his grin widened. "Yeah, I know. That's why we're gonna wait until we get on the back roads. You just watch."

The light changed to green, and she sat clutching her seatbelt with one hand and the door handle with the other. If she was going to be part of this wild-ass race that Naruto was planning, she wasn't going to die because of it!

The whole five minutes it took to drive onto a deserted back road, Sakura fretted about all the possible outcomes. Naruto could drive safely and loose with grace, but that wasn't going to happen. She knew him too well. Most likely, he'd drive recklessly, dangerously, and without thinking. They'd get in an accident, or the other driver would, and someone would get hurt, maybe even killed. Damn these men and their cars!

The flat road stretched out in front of them, and Sakura felt herself relax momentarily as the cars slowed to a stop, rumbling eagerly. Someone stepped out of the passenger seat, a woman dressed rather scantily for an October night in the city, and stood in between the two cars and in front. She held up her hand, looking from one to the other, a coy smirk on her face.

Just before she let her hand fall, starting the race, and before Sakura had cardiac arrest, the driver of the other car rolled down the tinted passenger window, and Naruto did the same. Sakura forgot all about holding on, about safety, and about the possibility of dying. She clutched at her chest and hyperventilated, breathing sharply in and out in ragged gasps. The other driver smirked, hands perched high on his steering wheel.

He lifted his chin to Naruto, who had looked momentarily shocked before baring his teeth and staring out at the road ahead. His knuckles were white from clutching at the wheel too tightly, his jaw clenched, the small muscle there twitching wildly.

Sakura had one last glimpse of the man in the other car before the woman dropped her hand and both men slammed on their gas and the cars shot forward. She was flattened against the seat, her seatbelt holding her firmly in place as it should. As they careened around a curve at the end of the straight stretched, she had only one image in her mind, of the man in the other car, with the black hair, black onyx eyes, and aloof, "I'-better-than-you" expression on his face.

And then, she couldn't see anything but the bright flash of lights, heard the honking of horns and Naruto's screams mixed with someone else's, maybe her own. And then, the man's face came into view in her minds eye. She could only pray that it wouldn't be the last thing she would see.

* * *

**Okie doke. Leave ya on a cliffy. And odn't think it'll be the first thing in the next chapter, trust me. You'll have to wait a bit to see what happens to them. :D Have fun waiting!  
Luv much! AND REVIEW!!!**

**Nicola**


	5. Chapter 5

**Okie doke. Here is the next chapter in the story! I hope you enjoy it--I enjoyed writing it!!!!!!**

**Luv much!**

**Nicola**

* * *

Uchiha Itachi leaned against the front of his desk, his arms crossed and his legs crossed at the ankles. His dark, expressionless eyes stared into the plotting brown ones belonging to the man who'd attempted to see him without consent. He knew who he was, alright. One of Orochimaru's men no doubt, coming to convince him that dropping the charges would be the "best" option for both parties. Yeah, right.

More than anything in the world—but not more than his stupid brother—did Itachi hate people like Orochimaru. Liars, cheaters, users, and most of all, business smart bastards who thought they could get away with murder. Okay, so he himself managed to knock off a few people that deserved it, but they'd had it coming. He didn't kill innocents if he could avoid it. Orochimaru, on the other hand, would slaughter anyone who happened to cross his path and look at him a split second too long. Orochimaru didn't have the appearance of a normal man, and was self-conscious about being stared at.

Nara Shikamaru was Orochimaru's lawyer, the mouthpiece of the operation, the messenger. Itachi's lips twisted into a smirk as an old saying passed through his mind: Always kill the messenger.

"Is there anything in particular you would like to speak to me about?" he asked in his slippery, velvety voice. Nara smiled creepily, a too-happy smile that made him seem as if he knew more than he was letting on. It made Itachi almost want to chuckle. There was no way in this hell on Earth that Orochimaru's lawyer knew anything that his boss didn't want him to know.

There was always the possibility that Ino might spill bits and pieces of information during their throws of passion—oh yes, he knew all about their little on-again, off-again affair. Their midnight and midday plights at the Metro-Leaf hotel, their dates during the mild spells the Bouryokudans tended to have, their lust for each other…it was like a bad romance movie. But whatever suited them best. Besides, he knew damn well that Ino wouldn't tell anyone anything, because he would kill her if she did.

Nara shoved one hand into his pocket and shrugged the other shoulder. "Oh, not much, just the issue of you keeping hold of your territory. You know, I don't see that happening for much longer, if you continue acting the way you do. Stubbornness isn't a trait that a mob boss should have, if you catch my drift. Being pig-headed will only make you dig your grave."

With an aloof shrug, Itachi ran a hand over his neck just below the jaw, shrugged one shoulder, and said, "I don't see how you could call me stubborn. I'm only doing my job, same as you. Although," he added, striding closer to Nara and glaring pleasantly (however strange that may seem) at the other man. "Some would say that you're butting your nose in where it doesn't belong, _Shikamaru_." He spat out the name, as if it were disgusting to say.

The Nara man chuckled, smirked, and put his hand on Itachi's shoulder. Itachi didn't flinch—if he did, Nara would think he had the advantage—just let him keep his hand there, however reluctant Itachi was to comply. He had an agenda to attend to, and this freak was only keeping him from his business, sucking up his time. Whatever it was he'd come to say, he'd better say it, and fast, because his patience was running out.

"You should leave," Itachi said in a low voice. He narrowed his eyes, and smirked inwardly at the fear in Nara's face as his eyes flashed red. No one knew of the power he had on his side, the strength he kept hidden at all times, at all costs. "Now."

Nara didn't hesitate—he pulled away from Itachi and walked briskly to the door. But before he left, he turned and said, in a dangerous voice, "Watch your back, Itachi."

Itachi only laughed, and motioned for the two guards outside to come in for a moment. The redhead and blonde strode in, looking rather bored being on guard duty. Itachi returned to his chair, sat down, and leaned back. "Deidara," he said in his silky smooth voice, an almost alluring sound that he personally created to put enemies at ease, "I want you to keep an eye on Nara Shikamaru, and Sasori," he added to the redhead, who was gazing out the window, "make sure Deidara doesn't get sidetracked."

Deidara scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Are you kidding me? I'm not going to get sidetracked! If anyone will it's Mr. Cloud-watcher over here!"

Sasori turned his gaze slowly from the window to the angry man next to him, and stared blankly. "I don't understand. You're the idiot."

Itachi held up his hand to silence the two before Deidara started another brawl in the confines of the mansion. Stupid Deidara and his temper. "Go, now. And remember what I told you."



Kakashi listened to the recording over and over again, trying to find something that might hint at a clue, anything, a reason to why this boy had been targeted instead of one of the other three-hundred kids in Konoha. It was a recording of the interview he had had with the boy's mother, some woman named Suki. The conversation hadn't gone so well, what with the woman weeping and crying and flipping out the whole time. Ibiki had done his best as head interrogator to calm her down and extract even a tiny bit of information from her, but alas most attempts failed.

Once again, Kakashi rewound the tape, pressed play, and listened.

**Kakashi:** Today, on October twenty-fifth, at one-twenty-one o'clock in the afternoon, Hatake Kakashi and Morino Ibiki interview Tornazu Suki, mother of missing Yuri Goto.

**Ibiki:** I know this is hard for you. We just need to ask you a few questions about your son, your relationship with him, and—

**Suki:** _(sobbing)_ Are you saying we don't have a good relationship?! I love my son more than anything!  
**Ibiki:** I understand. Now, what is your son's name and age?  
**Suki:** His name is Miruko, and he's only nine. _(Sniff)_ He's just a little boy! I don't know how he could've been kidnapped! I didn't hear _anything_! _Not one thing! _

**Kakashi:** Now, now. It's okay. Just answer Ibiki's questions and we'll find your son in no time, I promise.

**Ibiki:** Kakashi.

**Kakashi:** I know, I know. But she's _upset_.

**Ibiki:** When was the last time you saw Miruko?

**Suki:** _(still crying)_ It was around nine or nine thirty, and he was just finishing up his breakfast. I'd made him his favorite—blueberry pancakes and syrup with bacon on the side and a glass of apple juice. He loves blueberry pancakes, every since he was a little boy. Then, I went downstairs to go put clothes in the washer, and— _(voice turns to high-pitched squeal and trails off into sob)_

**Kakashi:** Calm down, Suki, and tell us exactly what happened after you went downstairs to the washer.

**Suki:** _(sniff)_ Well, I put the clothes in the washing machine, and it was all white clothes so I turned it on delicate, and then once I had it going, I walked back upstairs and started talking to him, asking him if he'd like to go to the park before Daddy got home from work. His dad, my husband, Daichi, works for Kiba as an assistant chef. He works the night shift.

**Ibiki:** What happened next?

**Suki:** I got into the kitchen and didn't see him anywhere, so I thought he was just playing hide and seek. I started looking, everywhere. The bedrooms, the closets, the attic, the yard, everywhere. He wasn't anywhere. And then I saw that he hadn't finished his pancakes, and that was when I knew. He was gone! _(huge sob, weeping)_

**Kakashi:** _(sigh)_

**Ibiki:** Thank you, Suki. Can you explain the significance of finishing the pancakes?

**Suki:** He always ate his pancakes. He even told me before that if he would never, ever leave his food uneaten. _(Sad chuckle)_ He loves to eat.

**Ibiki:** And what about the ransom note?

**Suki:** _(deep breath)_ It was tucked under the plate, a corner sticking out. It said something like, "I have your son. He's safe, unless the Uchiha does what he's been told." And it was signed "U.S." I have no idea who that is.

**Kakashi:** _(growl under breath)_

**Ibiki:** _(sharply)_ Kakashi!

**Kakashi:** Sorry. _(Clears throat)_ Ma'am, thank you. We'll be calling you and your husband for further interviews. If you think of anything, call us.

**Suki:** Please, find my little boy!

_(Click)_

And that was it.

Kakashi thrummed his fingers on the desk, staring at the little recording device. Yes, he knew the initials. Yes, he knew what the note had been referring to. But he couldn't figure out why Orochimaru had targeted this child in particular. There was no reason for it. Had the pedophile just wanted another little boy to experiment with? Kakashi wrinkled his nose, disgusted at the idea. Uchiha Sasuke had already fallen victim to the freak that ran the Oto Bouryokudan. No one else needed to. And he was going to damn well make sure no one else did.

He reached for his phone, quickly dialing a number he knew by heart from all the cases against this particular person. He changed only one digit, a three to a four at the end of the phone number. It rang several times, probably because the man being called was wondering what the ANBU was doing calling his private phone line. And he had right to wonder. It wasn't every day that Kakashi wanted to contact this man, after all.

Finally, a deep, monotonous voice answered, "Hello, Kakashi."

"Hello, Itachi." Kakashi put on his best bored voice, which wasn't very hard—the majority of the time he was bored.

For a second, there was silence. "And to what do I owe this pleasure?" The sarcasm in Itachi's voice was plain and blunt, and Kakashi smirked on his end of the line.

"I have a few questions for you," he said, leaning back in his chair and propping his feet on the desk. "Concerning your brother, that is."

"Ah."

Typical Uchiha, Kakashi thought bitterly, imagining a same reaction from his old student gone bad. The two were more alike than they thought.

"Were you informed of his presence in Konohagakure?" Kakashi hinted slyly, in a patient, innocent voice. The best was to deal with these men, he knew, was to bait them and slowly reel them in. Only, Itachi was different from the rest. He had a higher resistance.

"In fact," Itachi said, and Kakashi could hear the irritation in his voice, "I was informed that my little brother had returned. How pathetic, isn't it, that you would assume my own men wouldn't know about this before yourself?"

Itachi chuckled, and Kakashi bristled. "Your men aren't the most reliable, to tell the truth."

"Ah, that's where you are wrong," Itachi replied smoothly. "My men are more loyal than your own. The ANBU doesn't have the best track record, now does it? And our company has always been completely cleared of all charges."

"Because of your lawyer," Kakashi spat, letting some anger drip into his voice by mistake. "And because you have the money to pay off witnesses."

"I don't know what you're talking about." And, with one last sinister chuckle, Itachi hung up.

Kakashi sat there holding the phone for several long minutes, taking deep breaths and repeatedly counting to ten to calm his temper. He would not let Itachi get to him. The stupid idiot. Itachi thought Kakashi was trying to get a confession out of him, when in reality he was only asking for his—and he hated to do it—help. Well, he thought, getting up from his chair and, taking the tape recorder with him left the room, they were on their own now. No one was going to help them but themselves. The ANBU had a kidnapping and possible murder on their hands.



Hanabi sat down on the small bed, looking around the little room her cousin had allowed her to stay in. Being in the Bouryokudan was a great honor, she knew, but she was starting to feel nervous about the strain in her relationship with Hiashi. He was her father, after all, and she'd always been favored over her sister. Now, though, Hiashi was most likely going to run and lavish attention on Hinata.

Oh, well. She crossed her legs and bounced up and down on the mattress. It really was a nice room, however miniscule the size. The walls were a tan-white color, the one dresser and TV stand were made of light wood. The bed frame was wood, too, and the comforter was a dark green that contrasted startlingly with the walls. And, okay, there wasn't a TV on the television stand, but hey, Neji was housing her, and making sure she had everything she needed. Plus, she had her own little bathroom plus a closet to put her small amount of belongings in.

She fell back on the bed, staring at the ceiling fan going around and around at a slow pace. It was cold in the room, but who cared? She could barely contain her excitement at the offer Itachi had given her, much less fret over the temperature. Ever since Neji had joined the Konoha Bouryokudan, she'd envied him and dreamt of becoming a member, too. Once you were in, you were in for life, she knew, but it didn't bother her. She knew and understood the risks, was prepared to take the chance of being shot or killed or hurt in some other way just to do the only work she was able to see herself in.

There was a knock at her door, and she sat up, saying, "Come in." Neji walked in, carrying two bottles of beer. Her eyes brightened considerably as he tossed her one. He popped the top off of his own and took a swig, watching her as she sipped at hers.

"It's not going to kill you," he said, his pale eyes interested.

"I know," she said, rolling her eyes. "I've had beer before. I just don't like to drink it all at once. I like to savor it."

Neji nodded. "Smart."

She also envied Neji for his good looks. It was completely different, being a girl, but still, he was the handsomest person she'd ever seen. She knew that most girls would die to be on the arm of a man like him. And she coveted good looks. So she was cute. That didn't mean anything. She'd rather be pretty, beautiful, even. Not cute.

Blinking her own pale eyes, Hanabi took a large gulp of beer just to prove herself and swallowed without missing a beat. Neji nodded in approval, and smiled a little.

"Atta girl," he said, and she grinned. He held up his beer, she clinked it against his, and they both took another swig. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "So, how does it feel being the newest member of our little crew?"

She laughed. "Pretty good. Although, I wish Dad was a little more understanding. It's not like I'm doing this to spite him. I want to do this."

Neji nodded. "I understand. Hiashi was mildly disappointed in me when I decided to take Itachi's offer, but he didn't have the control over me as he does with you. I'm not his son, just his nephew." He shrugged. "I assume he felt he owed it to me after my father took that bullet for him."

Hanabi shuddered at the memory of that day. She'd been only a small child, about a year or so old, but she could remember exactly what had happened. She, Hiashi, Hinata, Neji, and Hizashi, Neji's father, had gone out for the day, hoping to spend some family quality time. When they were walking in the park, there'd been an ambush. Hizashi, the only one who carried a gun with him, had stepped in front of the group and held his gun in his hands. Neji hid behind his fathers legs. He'd yelled for everyone to run, but Hiashi had stayed, instructing the children to go and hide under the concrete picnic table, where they'd be safe from flying bullets.

Hanabi had caught a glimpse of one of the attackers—a man with long black hair, a white face, and snake eyes. He'd held his gun aloft, firing with several others at his side. Then, he'd taken aim at Hiashi, who'd moved to stand next to his brother even though he was weaponless except for his switchblade. Hizashi had seen the man move to pull the trigger, and leapt in front of his brother, taking the bullet to the chest.

Needless to say, Hizashi hadn't survived.

Maybe that was the reason Neji had joined, Hanabi had thought more than once. To get revenge on Orochimaru for killing his father and threatening his family. She knew that Neji had resented his uncle for years, hating him for living instead of his own father. But he'd gotten over it eventually, and now they were at least civil to each other.

"Well, whatever it was, he let you go," she said, downing the rest of her beer. "And now he's trying to get me back. You know, he's called my cell phone twelve times today?"

Neji looked steadily at her. "Answer it next time."

"Why?"

"Because he's your father," Neji said quietly, looking down at his beer, "and you don't want to lose him. Not in death, but to lose a relationship with him would be the same."



Tenten sat in Russo's, the coffee shop right around the corner from the Metro Leaf, swirling her Vanilla Mocha around in its mug. The little coffee shop was a hot spot for most people, especially those around her own age, in their early twenties. It was filled with small tables, a bar counter and stools, and Halloween decorations. Normally, the sight of arched-backed cats and black bats fluttering on wire across the room would have made her either start or laugh. But today, she was happy with staring sadly at her cold mocha.

Neji was supposed to have met her at Russo's almost an hour ago, and he still hadn't shown. She knew he had a lot on his hands with his cousin moving in, but Hanabi was a grown, or at least almost grown, girl. She could handle herself for a few hours. Yet Neji refused to let her out of his sight for more than a few minutes. Tenten couldn't understand what his problem was. She asks for a few hours of his time, and he either bluntly refuses, or promises and doesn't show up.

"Damn you, Neji," she muttered under her breath as she stood up, threw down a few dollars on the table, and walked towards the door in a huff. Really, how much more ignorant could he get?

Before she could open the door, it was opened for her, and she found herself face-to-face with a dark green shirt and dull red vest. Looking up, she saw a friendly, smiling, lined face. Grinning back, Tenten wrapped him in a hug.

"Jiraiya! It's great to see you!"

The gray-haired man chuckled and hugged her back. "It's nice to see you, too, Tenten. What brings you here?"

Jiraiya was one of the oldest members of the Konoha Bouryokudan. He'd been around since Itachi's father had run the business. He was looked up to by everyone, especially Naruto, who'd been trained by the legendary man when he'd first come into the business. Jiraiya knew what he was talking about, whatever he happened to be speaking of, no matter what it was, and was the most experienced employee of Itachi. If he wanted to, he could probably take Itachi down without hesitation. But Jiraiya wasn't that way, Tenten knew, and though he could be dangerous if he wanted to, he was one of the most lovable people she knew.

But he was a bit of a pervert, she had to admit, remembering Naruto's nickname for the man. "Pervy Sensei" was what the blonde called him.

"Oh, I was just, you know, waiting for someone," she said nonchalantly, trying not to look hurt. "But he didn't show."

"Ah, I see," he said, taking Tenten by the arm and leading her to the bar counter. They sat down on the spin-y stools. "Neji blew you off again." Of course. She should've figured that Jiraiya would know about her and Neji's relationship problems. He knew everything.

"Yeah." She picked at the skin around her fingers, ignoring the stabbing sensation in her chest. "I just don't know why he refuses to see me. I mean, I like him, and I'm almost positive he likes me back." She couldn't believe how childish she sounded, but there was no other way to put it. Saying "love" would be too cheesy.

"Well, then, you should confront him about it!" Jiraiya said enthusiastically, ordering plain black coffee. "That's the best way to go about things!"

Unable to look at that cheerful smile and frown, Tenten laughed. "Okay, okay, maybe I'll try that. I just hope I get the answer I want."

Jiraiya chuckled. "Oh, believe me, you will, you will."



Sakura was going to have a heart attack.

She kept thinking to herself, _No, don't do it, Naruto, please, _but apparently her message wasn't getting to the blonde in the drivers seat. He revved his engine dangerously as a brunette, barely dressed woman slinked out of the Jaguar and went to stand in between the two cars, raising one perfectly manicured hand into the air above her head. The driver to their left beeped his horn, as if hurrying the woman along.

Naruto smirked, and Sakura focused on breathing steadily. Naruto was going to get them killed, she was sure of it. This was not the place for a drag race. Sure, a flat stretch of road was tantalizing, but there was a curve just at the end of it. And neither driver was likely to stop. At least, Naruto wouldn't. He would keep going until he won.

Just before the woman dropped her hand, signaling the start of the race, and just before Sakura had cardiac arrest, the man in the next car rolled his passenger window down. Naruto put his window down, too, and Sakura started hyperventilating at the sight of the other driver, breathing in sharp, ragged gasps. The driver lifted his chin to them, his hands perched high and lazily on his steering wheel.

He grinned nastily at Naruto, who'd looked momentarily shocked before baring his teeth in anger and gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. The blonde stared straight ahead of him, his blue eyes ablaze with fury and the possibility of revenge. His jaw was clenched, the small muscle there twitching wildly. Sakura didn't dare try to calm him—he was angered to a point that all clear judgment had disappeared.

Sakura had one last glimpse of the man in the next car, with his black hair, black dancing eyes, and disgustingly handsome face. The high cheekbones, perfectly shaped face, devilishly tantalizing lips. And then, the woman dropped her hand, both men slammed on the gas pedal, and the cars shot off screeching down the road. Sakura was flattened against the seat, and she grabbed onto the seatbelt holding her firmly in place.

Then, to Sakura's horror, they careened around the curve at the end of the stretch, neck and neck with each other. She heard Naruto's scream mixed with someone else's, maybe her own. She didn't know. The yells echoed hollowly in her ears, beating her eardrums until they hurt. Her mouth was open—was she screaming, too? She hadn't thought she was. And there was something else, too. The screech of breaks, maybe? It sounded so familiar, and mingled so well with their screams that it was almost impossible to differentiate. But it was there.

Vaguely she felt herself being thrown against the passenger door, her head hitting and cracking the glass. She felt something warm trickling down her cheek, dripping off her chin, but she couldn't figure out what it was. Naruto's hands…she could see them on the wheel, illuminated by a bright white light. She squinted against it, the sensation of being spun around nauseating her stomach. Lips tightly clamped against anything that might come up, she reached out for Naruto, hoping to grab onto his hand and make everything stop…

And then, it did.

The bright light dimmed to a dull glow, the screeching and screaming pounding in her ears faded away, and she realized that she was still in the car. The spinning sensation had been Naruto jerking the wheel, keeping them from crashing into a house. The screams had been hers, and his, and the screeching mingling in was the brakes.

Her head throbbed, her face felt bruised, and blood was slipping down from her right temple. Wincing, she brought a hand up to it and wiped away some of the sticky red fluid. Suddenly, as she closed her eyes against the pain, she heard someone else breathing next to her and whipped her head around to see.

"Naruto," she whispered, reaching over for his hand. His face was absolutely white, as pale as a sheet. She grabbed his hand, entwining their fingers together and bringing it up to her lips to kiss. "Oh, Naruto."

Then, she was unsnapping her seatbelt and being pulled into Naruto's lap. He held her there, tucked between him and the steering wheel, his arms wrapped protectively around her. He kept murmuring in her ear, telling her how much he loved her, how sorry he was, how glad he was that she was okay. She listened to him, curious as to what the hell had happened when they were going around the curve, but keeping quiet to let Naruto vent.

All she knew was that the moment they'd gone around the curve, the only thing she'd been able to see was the face of the man in the other car. And Naruto had seen it, too, one of the reasons he'd probably been even more tempted to race and win. That man deserved whatever he got. Sakura hoped he'd run off the road and into a tree.

"I'm sorry, Sakura," Naruto said for the umpteenth time, kissing her on the forehead. She winced—her head was tender. He gasped, only now realizing that she was bleeding from the right side of her face, and opened the door. He stepped out, helped her out, and leaned back in to find the flashlight in the glove compartment. Resurfacing with the flashlight, he beamed it onto her face, studying the cut.

"Naruto," she muttered, trying to push the light away, "Naruto. Naruto. Naruto, let me look in the mirror. Naruto!" He jerked, realizing what she was saying.

"God, Sakura, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to get us in a crash!" He slammed his hand down on the hood of the car, glaring at the crushed up front end. They'd driven into a fence, the front of the Porsche curled and twisted in a knot of hot metal. Sakura spotted one of the headlights, or at least the plastic that went in front of it, lying on the grass. She ignored it, and went to Naruto, putting a hand on his shoulder. She noticed that he was shaking.

"It's okay," she whispered, rubbing his shoulder. "I'm okay, we're alright. Nothing happened."

"No, you don't understand, Sakura," he said quietly, his voice hoarse from sobbing dryly, without tears. "I could've gotten us killed. You could've died, just because I'm such an idiot." He shook his head. "I let that bastard get to me. Do you know, the second I saw him, everything else blanked out? I didn't even remember that you were in the car with me, that there was a house right around that curve, and that I had to keep you out of danger. Dammit!"

Naruto hit his fist against the car again and dug in his pocket for his cell phone. He started cursing when he couldn't find it, checking all of his pockets in his pants, and Sakura leaned inside the car. There was the little phone, sitting where it usually was in the cup holder. She grabbed it, stepped back, and held it out to the fretting blonde man. Sheepishly he took it, flipped it open, and hit a speed dial.

"Sorry," he whispered to her. And then he said into the phone, "Hey, it's me. Yeah, I know, I forgot." There was a long pause. "Okay. I will. Just…I'm having a little trouble getting home, so it'll be a while, alright? Kay, good. See you then." He snapped it shut, turning to Sakura. "I had to call Itachi. I was supposed to check in like, an hour ago, but I forgot. And then, of course, the accident. I can't tell him about the accident, he'll kill me for drawing attention to me, to him."

"But…" Sakura was looking at her cut in the side mirror. It wasn't that deep, only bleeding a lot because it was a head wound. It would only take a few stitches, if that. "Shouldn't you tell Itachi that….he….is back in town? And what kind of car he's driving? I mean, Itachi would want to know."

"Yeah, true," Naruto agreed, considering it. "Later, though. Right now, we need to get a hold of someone else." He was dialing his cell phone again, and Sakura tried to see who he was calling. Maybe it was Ino, to keep him out of trouble. Or one of his buddies from work. But apparently, she was wrong. For a few seconds, there was complete silence, then, "Hey, Kakashi? It's Naruto…Yeah, I know. Surprise. Look, I need your help….Enough with the smart-ass comments!...No, she's okay. We just got in an accident…yes, I'm sure she's fine….we're on the back road by the municipal park…yeah, the one right by the school. Okay, see you in a few!" He tucked his phone away safely in his pocket and crawled into the car, digging around and collecting their belongings. He popped the trunk, and Sakura pulled out the bag with her dress in it.

"So what did he say?" she asked after a few minutes, and Naruto adjusted their shopping bag on his arm.

"He's coming to get us," he answered easily. "Oh, and to take you to the hospital. He doesn't believe that you're okay. You are okay, right?" he added worriedly, and she had to laugh at the expression on his face.

"Just fine. I'll just go into my office, clean this up a bit, and have Tsunade or Hinata stitch me up. Only a few stitches, nothing to worry about. I've had worse." She touched her shoulder for effect, and Naruto nodded. Just below her shoulder blade, there was a long, faint scar that you could only see up close. It was from an accident years ago that she'd managed to get herself into. To make it short, never walk down the stone steps outside the front of the hospital in high heeled shoes while it was raining. You may trip and land on the sharp end of your umbrella. And yes, umbrellas have sharp ends. Sakura would know.

"Good." Naruto turned and surveyed the damage done to his car. Over the initial shock of nearly getting them both killed, he let out a strangled squeak and started twitching. Sakura shook her head, shivering, and slipped into the driver's seat as Naruto whimpered and leaned over the mangled hood. It was still October, and cold, and she didn't have a coat. Which meant she was freezing. And since Naruto was still fretting over his car, she had no one to keep her warm. Then, coming to a sudden realization, she reached behind her and felt around in the back seat. Her fingers touched the mildly scratchy material of Naruto's thick winter overcoat he always kept in the car. She pulled it to the front and wrapped it around her shoulders, lavishing in the warmth and breathing in the smell of Naruto's cologne.

It wasn't five minutes later that a white car rumbled down the road, slowing to a stop beside the half-sleek, half-busted black Porsche. Naruto was still croaking out dry sobs over the damage, but immediately cleared his throat and took a deep breath at the sight of the car. Sakura peeked out from inside the Porsche, grinning. She'd been unwillingly yanked inside that car before, so she recognized it off the bat. Already waving as the gray-haired man slowly stood out of his car, his face shocked, she called, "Hey Kakashi! Thanks for picking us up!"



"Now, explain this to me again, Naruto," Kakashi said, shifting in the hard plastic chair to give Naruto a look of death. Naruto fidgeted under the gaze, his eyes darting from Kakashi to Sakura and back. Sakura smirked as she dabbed lightly at the cut on her temple, ignoring the sting of antiseptic solution. They were at the hospital, in her office, and even after explaining the situation twice to the older man, Kakashi was still not capable of grasping exactly what had happened. Of course, most of it was a lie, and Kakashi probably knew that.

Sakura suppressed a giggle when Naruto started babbling the story out again, only this time he stumbled over his words. He was losing his cool, and although Kakashi most likely knew they were lying, it would only confirm his suspicions.

She was beginning to wonder if Tsunade would really feel like stitching her up yet again when Hinata walked into the office that they shared with Shizune, her pale face flushed from a midnight rush in the E.R.

"What happened?" the quiet woman asked at the sight of Sakura, rushing over to aid her friend in cleaning out the cut. "Are you okay?"  
"She's fine," Naruto said, standing up from his chair to come take Sakura's hand. "We've made sure of that."

Hinata ducked her head into the cabinet, hiding her blush. Sakura knew the Hyuga girl had had a crush on Naruto for the longest, and envied her co-workers relationship with her. She wanted Hinata dig around on the shelves and resurface with the stitching kit. Hinata instructed Sakura to sit in the chair and lean her head sideways so that the cut was facing the ceiling. She did so, and Hinata easily injected some number into the area around the cut.

"So, what happened?" Hinata asked, expertly stitching up the wound like she did it every day, which she did. Sakura felt light tugging in her temple, and chose to ignore it for fear she might heave. She may be used to being stitched up, but that didn't mean she liked it any more.

"We got in a little accident," Sakura started, glancing at Naruto. He nodded. She was sticking to the story that he'd told Kakashi. "The roads were sorta slick, and we went too fast around a curve. But we only got bruised up and, well, the cut is just how my luck rolls."

"At least you're all right," Hinata murmured soothingly, tying off the end and placing the tools and thread into an antiseptic solution to keep them clean. She pulled a bandage from the kit, took off the wrapper, and settled it over the cut. "And you'll be able to take off that bandage in about five days. You'll hardly be able to see the stitches, I promise. They'll be half-dissolved by then."

"Thanks, Hinata," Sakura said, giving Hinata a quick hug before prodding the bandage. "You did a great job. But you always do."

"Especially on you, Sakura-chan," Hinata chuckled. "You're my most frequent patient of all!"

"Gee, thanks," Sakura muttered good-naturedly. She stood, took Naruto's hand, and smiled at Kakashi. "Thanks for the ride, Kakashi. We'll be able to get home from here. Promise," she added when the man tried to protest. "Don't worry. It's all good. Someone will be coming to pick up the car anyway. Right?"

Naruto nodded and took out his cell phone. "I'll get Sai on it right away." He smirked. "That'll do the bastard good."

Laughing, Sakura started towing Naruto out of the room. "Let's go before Tsunade decides to make me work some." Halfway through the door, Kakashi grabbed her arm and motioned for her to come back in. She glanced at Naruto, gave him a nod encouraging him to go ahead and make the call, and stepped back in. "What?"

"I'm worried about you," Kakashi muttered, looking steadily at her with his gray eye. "I don't like that you're in so much danger."

"What are you talking about?" Sakura said cheerfully, watching Hinata as she walked out of the room to give them some privacy. "I'm not in any danger. It was just a little accident. You know that."

"There was nothing little about it," Kakashi growled, tightening his hold on her arm. "You know damn well that someone caused Naruto to forget his place, to forget that you were in the car. There's only one person who could do that to him. We both know who it is, too. We have reports of sightings of him in the city and around the outskirts, and there's reason to think he kidnapped that little boy. Sakura," he said, his voice now a whisper, "I don't want you to be hurt by this, by him."

Pulling away from Kakashi, Sakura shook her head fervently, her pink hair flipping around her face. "There is no way I would be hurt by him, Kakashi. I can take care of myself, contrary to what you and Naruto seem to believe. I'm not going to make the same mistake again."

"Good," Kakashi said, relaxing, and stood up and stretched. "Okay, go find your boyfriend and get home." She didn't like the dismissing tone of his voice, but she left anyway and hurried over to Naruto. One quick glance around told her that no one else she knew was in the hospital (especially Tsunade). Good. No reason to hide to save herself the embarrassment.

"Hey, sweetie," Naruto greeted her, wrapping his arm around her waist. "Sai's on his way to pick up the car, but only because Itachi said he has to listen to me." There was a boyish grin on his face that made Sakura laugh.

"That's good," she giggled as they walked out of the hospital and started down the street.

"So what did Kakashi want?" Naruto wanted to know, stopping them at the corner so they could wait to cross the street. "You were in there for a good five minutes."

"Oh, just to warn me that you're dangerous and the people you're involved with are dangerous. Same old stuff," she said easily, fighting back the butterflies in her stomach. "Nothing to be too concerned about."

Naruto looked relieved, and she relaxed against him while they strode briskly across the street. Even as she smiled and joked with her longtime boyfriend, she felt her stomach become queasy and nervous, hinting that she really was afraid now that _he_ was back in the city.

Sakura didn't notice the silver Jaguar parked across the street from their house, settled silently in the dark, underneath the broken street lamp. She didn't see the dark outline of a man sitting in the driver's seat, but the man saw her. His black eyes followed hers and Naruto's every move as they strode laughingly up the walkway and into the house, never missing a beat. The man glowered at the sight of Naruto with his arms wrapped around the roseate young woman, pulling her into a passionate kiss on the front porch, in front of the door.

Naruto had no right to be kissing her like that, no right to hold her so tenderly. The man ground his teeth together angrily, wishing that he could take Naruto and wring his stupid, lucky little neck. He gunned the engine as soon as the door closed behind the happy couple, and sped off down the street, letting the roar of the car drown out the anger in his head.

* * *

**Phew. THat took forever. Okay, there you have it. I hope that you all are able to guess who "he" is and why he's so angry at Naruto for kissing Sakura. Told ya there'd be plot twists! Muahaha!**

**Luv much!**

**Nicola**


	6. Chapter 6

"Itachi? Hello? Itachi?"

Naruto pulled his cell phone away from his ear and stared at it for a moment to make sure it was still on, then put it back in place. Sure, the news he'd just given his boss was shocking, and Itachi was normally a quiet person, but he shouldn't be taking this long to respond. Maybe he'd passed out, he wondered vaguely as he paced back and forth in the kitchen of his and Sakura's house. Or maybe Itachi had taken it up to shoot himself. Naruto had always said that his boss was an unstable one.

"I'm here," Itachi said finally, after clearing his throat and apparently adjusting the phone to his ear. "My apologies. Your news was…momentarily shocking, I have to say." He was silent again, and Naruto rolled his eyes. This man was quiet more often than he was talkative. "We aren't going to do anything."

For a moment, Naruto stared at his cell phone as if he hadn't heard his boss correctly, blinking in utter disbelief. Was he serious? As in, _serious_ serious? Itachi always retaliated, no matter who the enemy was or what they had done. They never left a situation un-avenged. Naruto snapped out of his reverie, cleared his throat, and said, "Okay, why?"

"Because that's what that bastard wants us to do," Itachi said in the most venomous voice Naruto had ever heard him use. "We are going to make him run off the tracks, surprise him by refusing to retaliate. Do you understand?" When a still shocked Naruto didn't answer, his ear was nearly blown out at Itachi's hollered, "Do you?!"

"Yes, sir," he answered hurriedly, swallowing and waiting until Itachi had hung up before shutting his phone and tucking it into his pocket. Phew. When Itachi got into a mood, he really got going. And now was not a good time for anyone to be messing with him. Naruto knew that anyone who happened to walk into Itachi's office, and somehow manage to rub him the wrong way, that gun that was usually lying dormant on the book shelf would finally be put to use.

Shaking his head, Naruto walked out of the kitchen and into the backyard, where Sakura was raking leaves. He smiled at the sight of her in an old hoody and torn jeans, scratching away at the ground with the red rake. Her tongue was sticking out of the corner of her mouth, her brow furrowed in concentration, her rake rapidly trying to pull an extremely stubborn yellow leaf into the pile collected to her right. For some reason, the leaf would not budge, and Naruto could see the frustration building up in his pink-haired rose as he walked quietly up in front of her.

He leaned down, just as she whipped the rake up for another go, and picked the little yellow leaf up. Twirling it between his fingers, he smiled, and tossed it into the growing pile. She scowled and leaned against the rake. Her green eyes glared from behind a curtain of pink hair that had fallen over her face. She reached up and hastily swiped it away, only to have it fall back into place again.

"I hate leaves," she muttered, her bottom lip jutting out slightly in a pout. Naruto laughed, and gave her a quick hug which she refused to return, standing stubbornly with her arms at her side.

"Aw, they're just leaves. Nothing to be worried about, after all," he chuckled, reaching up with his thumb and gently outlining the cut on her temple. He still felt miserably guilty for giving her an injury like that, for putting her in danger. Last night, his idiotic will to always beat Sasuke had caused him to nearly get himself and the most meaningful person in his life killed. Never again would he make such a mistake.

Pushing those thoughts from mind, he kissed her on the cheek, tapped her nose with his forefinger, and leapt backwards into the pile of leaves, twisting in the air to land on the cushioning of leaves. The orange and yellow and red tree petals flew up in all directions, swirling around in strange patterns before landing all over the place, where Sakura had just raked.

"Naruto!" she shrieked, throwing down her rake and glowering at him, fists clenched by her sides. For a moment, he was intimidated—Sakura could be vicious if she wanted to. But then, he really looked at her. Her face was red, her green eyes ablaze, and her bottom lip was still protruding out, pouting. She was too damn cute.

He laughed.

Her glare increased tenfold, and she stomped her foot, only prompting him to laugh harder. He knew she would eventually calm down and start laughing, too, but for the moment it was rather entertaining seeing her build up to a hissy fit. She was absolutely adorable when she got mad, and normally she was mad at him, which made it so much cuter.

And suddenly, a smile started pulling at the corners of her mouth, spreading into a grin, before she finally burst into giggles and jumped in next to Naruto. She rolled over so she was half on top of him, resting on his chest and smiling sweetly at him. "You know, you just made my work ten times harder?"

"Yup," Naruto said, grinning, and planted a kiss on her forehead. "I know. But don't worry—I'll get someone over here so you won't have to rake anymore. We'll make Asuma do it."

"No, that would be horrible!" she gasped, putting a hand over her mouth. She lowered it, and her grin had turned mischievous. "We should make Sai do it!"

Naruto hooted. "That's a damn good idea!" He chuckled; she joined in, and tossed leaves onto his face. He blew them off of him and started tickling her, making her squirm and beg for mercy. "Yes, beg, beg! Muahahaha!"

"Stop!" she giggled hysterically, hardly able to get the words out. "Stop! Naruto! I'm going to beat you! Quit it!"

They were just getting into their tickle fight when Sakura heard a noise that she absolutely dreaded. Groaning she pushed Naruto off and stood up, brushing the remaining leaves from her hoody. Naruto smiled sheepishly, held up one finger, and walked back into the house. She sighed heavily and picked up her rake to start working again. As she pulled the leaves into another pile, she wondered what job Itachi would have for his employee today. Did Naruto ever have a day off from work?

After a few minutes, when she'd had the pile looking like an actual pile again, Naruto walked back out and by his expression she knew he had something to do. She didn't meet his eyes when he came up to her and put his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Sakura," he apologized. "Kisame needs a partner for patrol duty. Anko's caught one of those twenty-four-hour flu bugs or something, so he's out a partner. Really, honey, I'm so sorry. Everyone else is busy."

"Yeah," she muttered, savagely raking at another stubborn leaf. Naruto stood there for a few minutes, watching her work, before striding across the yard and heading out the side gate to his car.

She looked up once he was gone, flung her rake to the ground for the second time that day, and flopped down next to it. She crossed her arms, dug out her cell phone, and skimmed down her contact list. No one would be available to hang out, anyway. Hinata and Tsunade and Shizune were at work, Ino was probably doing something for Itachi and their relationship was strained in the first place, Kakashi and the ANBU were working on that missing child case, and Kiba and Chouji were busy with the hotel/restaurant. What was she supposed to do with her day?

A few moments later, she had decided that going out and wandering around was the best idea, and she heaved herself to her feet, ignoring the dull throb that pulsed through her ankle. It was close to being healed, at least, and as long as she could walk on it she would be just fine.

Quickly she showered, fixed her hair, and dressed in tight jeans, a long-sleeve shirt and a coat, and was out the door. She walked with a slight limp—the cold weather was not good for her foot—but she was able to walk without much resistance from the injured ankle. Her initial idea was to head towards the shops and see if she ran into any old friends or something, then go for a cup of coffee or tea or a slice of Russo's famous coffee cake. Yes, that would be nice.

The people that passed her on the street had faces that all seemed to blend together. She pulled her black coat tighter around her, hands shoved into the pockets. Cars whizzed by quickly to her left, just colored blurs like the people around her. Red, black, green, white, brown, they all mixed into a swirl of colors, and she blinked fiercely to try and clear her vision. She didn't understand what was wrong with everything, why it all looked so fuzzy, until something wet slipped down her cheek and dripped off her chin. She stopped, bringing a hand up to her face and wiping the trail the droplet had left behind. It was warm, and she realized that her face was hot, and more wet drops were falling down both cheeks. She was crying.

Someone shoved into her, angrily demanding that she move out of the way before continuing down the sidewalk. Others started ramming her shoulders, her back, unaware that there was a weeping girl standing in the middle of the walkway. She brought both hand sup to her face, wiped viciously at the tears streaming down her face, into her mouth, off her chin. They were warm, salty, unwanted. And the bodies pressing in, hitting against her, were making her cry harder. She ignored the strange looks she was getting, still trying to figure out what the hell was wrong with her, and darted towards the street without thinking.

She ran onto the asphalt, choking back the sobs swelling in her throat, and came face-to-face with lines of rushing cars. They honked their horns at her, swerving around her as they sped down the street. She stood, horrified, staring at the vehicles careening left and right and around turns and past pedestrians. Her heart thudded angrily behind her ribs, her mind rushed with memories of last night, the bright light, the screams, the screech of breaks, the fear that had pulsed through her when they'd pitched around that curve.

And suddenly, she understood where the tears were coming from.

Last night, she had been afraid, petrified, shocked at what had happened. But then she'd looked over at the man next to her, the just as horrified man sitting behind the wheel, and all thoughts of her own pain had been pushed from her mind. She'd been concerned only with Naruto, with comforting him and keeping him strong. She had stayed firm and acted as the rock she desperately needed herself, just to take care of Naruto. And now, all the pain and fear and sadness and relief had come rushing at her, forcing her to exert it somehow and choosing tears as an out.

Completely understanding the reasons for her hysterics, she let herself cry, darting out of the road and into an alleyway, unaware of her surroundings. She sank to the ground with her hands over her face, her knees pulled to her chest. Her sobs came out half-strangled; her tears escaped the cover of her hands to fall onto her coat and down her collar. Her shoulders shook, her head ached, and she couldn't find the reserves to stop. All she wanted to do was cry, cry and let go of all the emotions bottled up from last night. She wondered vaguely why she hadn't cried like this before, been able to joke around with Naruto only an hour earlier.

Then, she heard footsteps, and looked up, taking her hands slowly from her face. A tall, masculine figure was making its way towards her from the opposite end of the alley. From what she could see, the person had messy, spiky hair, and their hands were shoved into their pockets. They sauntered, not walked, in her direction, and as they grew closer she could tell that it was a male, in fact, and he was wearing jeans. He moved further into the light, illuminating a black shirt with a fan logo on the right side of the chest, and pale skin.

When he moved so close that he was completely visible, she quickly wiped her eyes and cheeks, brought her feet under her, and prepared to jump up and run. She was not going to be kidnapped or manipulated or anything of the sort. In her mind, she saw the list of enemies that Naruto had drawn up for her. Number one was the obvious choice. Numbers three through ten she knew she would never have to encounter if Naruto had his way. But Number two...Number two she had never wanted to see on that list, never in a million years. Yet there he was, striding towards her with that knowing smirk on his face, those bored black eyes, the annoyed way he held himself.

She let her mind drink in his appearance, then thought, _Leave me alone, _unaware of actually having said it until he laughed and ran a hand over his permanently messy black hair. She had actually spoken the words aloud, and he had laughed at her. Same as always, she thought bitterly, making sure her mouth was firmly shut this time. He would never change. Never.

"Now why would I want to leave you alone?" Uchiha Sasuke murmured in his silky, hypnotizing voice. She felt herself waver unwillingly and quickly focused on collecting her bearings. No, she wouldn't fall for his tricks, his looks, his promises. He never kept them. He always lied. Every word that came out of his mouth was a lie.

She sprung to her feet, but was unable to make her legs run. No matter how hard she begged and demanded that her legs move, they stayed as if rooted to the cement. She swallowed hard, trying not to meet Sasuke's eyes. Last night, she had. And last night had almost been a disaster. She had the cut on her temple to prove it. Her hand reached up and touched the bandage over it, feeling the stitches through the gauze. This was only one of many injuries Sasuke had caused her, most of them just scars now, either visible on the skin or burned into her heart.

"Go away," she snarled finally, finding her voice. It didn't sound as fierce as she would have liked it to, but at least she was capable of talking. Maybe, if she kept at it, her legs would finally get the message she was trying to send them and carry her away from this traitor. "No one wants you here."

Sasuke almost looked stung, bringing sick pleasure to her at the sight of his pain. It was about time he was hurt by someone, that he had a taste of his own medicine. He couldn't hurt her anymore, she knew. One scream or one text message and someone would be at her aid, gun pointed directly at Sasuke. In her minds eye she saw the scene that would occur if she called for help, the sight of Sasuke begging for mercy, and someone's finger pulling the trigger and ending everyone's pain.

Then, Sasuke closed the distance between then and looked down at her, his black eyes catching and holding hers. She fought against it, but she couldn't tear her gaze away. It was as if she were transfixed, restricted by some unknown force to stare unwillingly at the man who had always caused her pain. It sounded cheesy, stupid, and childish, but growing up with only three real friends, two she could honestly depend on, had made her too trusting. Sasuke had always teased her, made her the butt of all his jokes, called her a baby and a stupid crying girl. But he'd always been there for her whenever she was in trouble. Him and Naruto, her own personal body guards. Then, a year before their training with Kakashi would end, Sasuke had started to change, to focus on his lessons and forget about his friends. Once, Sakura had begged for his help with a particularly mean schoolmate who was threatening to beat her up, and he'd laughed at her. He'd said she needed to suck it up and take whatever she had coming to her, because she deserved it.

And then he'd left.

Left with Orochimaru, left all his friends, his life, his old dreams, behind. Sakura had been heartbroken, but despite all the attempts Naruto had made trying to get Sasuke to come home, he never did. And now he was standing so close to her, the same old Uchiha Sasuke, close enough that she could feel his breath on her face, the heat radiating from him despite the bitter autumn chill.

Finally, with a burst of courage and strength she didn't know still existed in her after her little cry, she tore herself away from Sasuke, from the magnetic pull he seemed to have against her, and stepped back. Sasuke seemed surprised at this reaction—in their days as best friends he could have gotten anything from her with just a simple look, and now here she was denying him the rights he knew he had.

"You'd better leave the city, Sasuke," she said plainly, as if conversing with a longtime friend, not an enemy just resurfaced. "It's not safe for you here."

She turned her back to him, probably the most dangerous thing she could do to such a dangerous man, and walked out of the alleyway into the crowded sidewalk, and let herself merge into the mass of people.



Tenten took a deep breath, patted her hair (which was fixed in two perfect buns as always, but still, she had to make sure), and knocked on Neji's front door. And then she ran back down the steps and to the yard, where she ducked behind a tree on the neighbor's property. She watched as Neji opened the door, looked around, shrugged, and went back inside, closing the door behind him. She breathed out a sigh and hit her forehead on the bark of the tree.

"Idiot," she growled to herself.

That had to be the third time she'd gone up to Neji's door, wanting to just knock, wait until he opened it, and kiss him. Well, at least that's what she had imagined doing. In reality she had just been chickening out every time she raised her fist to knock. Only this time she'd been able to actually knock before running away. If the neighbors happened to be looking, then they probably thought she was some mentally ill woman obsessed with Neji. Which, in the eyes of anyone outside their friends, would be true. But she wasn't. She didn't see herself that way, in the very least.

She just really, really, really liked Neji, and had held off telling him for a long time. They'd always been good friends, hanging out and working together and just doing what normal friends did. But there had been a small piece of each of them (she was sure it wasn't just her) that made it feel like more. And she was ready to act on that now. After years of waiting, she was going to finally tell Neji that she liked him. Of course, it was proving more difficult that originally expected. Okay, so she could face down men who held her at gunpoint, being kept hostage in a hotel, and going on mad car chases during which someone almost always got hurt, but telling a guy how she felt? Oh, no, that was just beyond the list of capabilities. It ranked all the way up there alongside "dealing with nuclear war" and "facing down Itachi," which was in itself worse than nuclear war.

She was being so stupid, though. It really shouldn't take too much courage to walk up to the door, knock, and tell Neji she…erm…liked him. Loved was still too strong of a word. But if he didn't like her back, what was she going to do then? She worked with him, for Kami sake. She had to deal with him everyday, and they were almost always paired with each other on tasks Itachi put them on. And it wasn't like Itachi understood human emotions. All he knew were anger, boredom, and frustration, give or take. He wouldn't get that it would be harder to work with each other if it was out that she liked him.

Unless, of course, he liked her back.

Ugh!

Tired of waiting, and tired of being a big fat baby, she strode for the fourth time up to his front door. Raising her fist, she knocked, and put her hand firmly on the railing of the porch to keep herself from running away again. She heard footsteps, bit her lip, and waited. The door opened slowly this time, cautiously, as if the person opening it were expecting another no show.

Neji's head peered around the side of the door, and he sighed, relaxing at the sight of Tenten there, and opened it all the way. "Hey, Tenten. What's up?"

Just do it. Just go ahead and do it, she reminded herself, and smiled brightly. "There's a lot up, Neji."

Oh, he was just so handsome! Pale eyes, sharp, angular features, chiseled body…everything about him just sent her heart into a rapid spin. And now she was going to show him how fast her heart spun, and she could only hope that he felt the same.

So, she grabbed him by the front of the shirt, feeling stupid and courageous at the same time, and locked lips with him. The kiss wasn't like she'd dreamed—it was a hundred times better. Why? Because Neji kissed her back, twice as passionately as she'd kissed him. He held her to him, his hands pressing against her back and her neck, and she wrapped her arms over his shoulders and entwined her fingers in his hair. Finally it was happening.

When they pulled away, they were both grinning, and Neji pulled her into the house. The door shut with a click behind them.



Kakashi chewed on his lip as he, Nara Shikaku, and Hyuga Hiashi looked over the files and evidence involving the missing nine-year-old boy. One day. Twenty-four hours. Day two had officially started, and in these kinds of cases, the longer it took to figure something out, the less of a chance the missing person was alive. Very rarely did a missing person come home alive, or at least in an unharmed condition. Most victims were beaten, battered, bruised, or grossly sliced. So, as any normal person could understand, they didn't have much time on their hands.

The person they were most likely dealing with (Kakashi was absolutely certain who it was, but the others weren't so sure) was dangerous, and not easily tracked down or caught. Uchiha Sasuke was not a man to be messed with. He had skills that were only matched by his trainer, Kakashi, who wasn't so sure he could tackle him after all those years with Orochimaru. Who knew what the disgusting pedophile had taught Sasuke. Maybe he'd learned enough to go against Kakashi, to outwit his old teacher. Kakashi certainly hoped not.

Hiashi slid the copy of the ransom note to Shikaku, who shook his head and handed it to Kakashi. Having already seen it a thousand times, and recognized the handwriting off the bat, Kakashi barely even glanced at it. He knew exactly what it said, what it looked like. But then…maybe he'd missed something. He looked back at it again, rereading it for the umpteenth time.

_I have your son. He's safe, for now. As long as the Uchiha does what he's been told._

_- U. S._

Only frustrated further that he still couldn't find anything new in the note, Kakashi flung it down on the table and leaned back in his chair. He surveyed the men around him, the eye not hidden behind an eye patch studying them closely. Hiashi, pale-eyed, pale-skinned, always present frown pulling his features downward. Shikaku, scarred, lazy, seemingly irritated expression. The two men he had told to work solely on this case. The two men he trusted the most, the smartest besides himself. And damn it, they couldn't figure out this case.

If their suspicions were correct (as Kakashi insisted they were) then the motive was clear—if Itachi didn't do what Orochimaru wanted him to, which was drop all charges against him, then they'd kill the innocent little boy. Orochimaru was using sick means to get his way again. Kakashi wanted desperately to find the child, bring him home to his fretting parents, but if Orochimaru had any say in it they wouldn't be getting that kid anytime soon.

"Nothing," he answered to Shikaku and Hiashi, who had been looking imploringly at him. He shrugged. "I don't see anything else in this letter. It makes perfect sense—Orochimaru wants something, so he's going to do anything he can to get it. And he decided to kidnap a little kid. Just a little kid."

"We all know what Orochimaru is like, Kakashi," Shikaku said, and Kakashi's gaze was drawn to the two long scars on the right side of the Nara man's face. No one other than Shikaku knew how those scars had gotten there, and no one was stupid enough to ask. That was only one of two subjects that were forbidden to speak about to Shikaku, though. The other was his son. Everyone knew that Shikaku was proud of his son becoming a lawyer, but sadly disappointed in his choice of employer. Shikaku hated Orochimaru, for a number of reasons, and hated even more the fact that his only son worked for him. Needless to say, the relationship between father and son was strained, and they only spoke on special occasions or when forced to by Shikaku's wife, who still loved her son despite his job.

"Alright," Kakashi finally said, letting his chair fall forward again. "Let's go over this again. Oh," he added, hitting the call button on the telephone and waiting until a bored voice answered. "Hey, could you get me Hagane Kotetsu in here for a minute, please? Thanks."

Hiashi raised his eyebrow at Kakashi, who ignored it and waited the few moments until Hagane Kotetsu, one of the younger members of ANBU, walked in. With his wild black hair, and tiny little goatee on his chin, Kotetsu tended to be a heartthrob among the young women in Konohagakure. Kakashi stood up from his chair and extended his hand to Kotetsu, who shook it eagerly.

"You asked for me, sir?"

Kakashi nodded. "Yes, I did. I want you to interrogate every person who fits the description of black-haired, black-eyed, and bored. Okay? But first, I need you to get me Uzumaki Naruto."



Naruto rolled down the windows of his "rental" car, a white 1998 Lamborghini. Itachi had been mildly upset with him for wrecking the expensive Porsche, and to spite him had given him the oldest car in the Uchiha garage. Sure, the Lamborghini went fast, and it was pretty, but it was old, very old. The gas mileage was horrible, the engine made some strange putt-putt sound when turned on or idling at stop lights, and the interior stunk like rotten tomatoes. Ew.

So, because of the smell, Naruto currently had his head half out of the window, breathing in as much fresh air as he could. Oh, yes, and the car wasn't even in black or yellow or orange, his preferred colors. No, Itachi had given him a white car. White. Not black, not orange, not yellow, not even red. White. The only time Naruto liked the color white was when Sakura said so, or when he imagined her in a white wedding dress. No car should be white—it looked hideous.

He had already made the decision to keep Sakura as far from this car as possible. It wasn't pretty enough for her, to tell the truth. Besides, it stunk. It stunk something terrible. She wouldn't put up with any sort of smell except vanilla, the smell of his cologne, or the new smell, in a car.

Completely ignoring the fact that he needed to use his turn signal, Naruto swerved in front of three lanes of traffic and sped into the mall entrance, weaving in and out of cars to get away from the "slow people." Right now, he didn't want to do anything but go buy some car air fresheners and spray. He didn't know how much longer he could put up with the stench.

Plus, he had something else in mind to buy.

After parking the hideous car in a spot no one would see it (behind a tree that just happened to be conveniently placed at the end of the parking lot) Naruto walked into the entrance by the food court and made a beeline for the jewelry store just across from a stall in the middle selling hair straightening irons. The store, dully lighted and filled with rows and rows of cases filled with rings and necklaces and bracelets and earrings, only had one other customer who was obviously just browsing. Naruto patted the bulge of his wallet in his pocket, comforted by the fact that he could afford the prettiest of rings.

He strode up to one of the counters marked "Engagement Rings" and shoved one hand into his pocket, looking critically at each and every ring. The first that drew his attention was a silver, thin-banded ring. It had sort of a square shaped diamond, with an inch on each side of the big diamond decorated with smaller ones. Memorizing the number, Naruto moved on to the next one, a white-gold ring with a round diamond and several smaller diamonds set in a prong shape. That one he didn't like too much, wrinkling his nose in distaste. Sure, it was a pretty ring, but it didn't fit Sakura. He would know when he saw the right one.

And then, he caught sight of the ring in the top right corner of the case. He bent down to get a closer look, squinting at the only glare that the room seemed to have. Sighing, he motioned one of the employees over, a smartly dressed woman in her forties. The woman smiled politely and glanced down at the ring he was looking at.

"Oh, would you like to see this out of the case?" she asked, already knowing the answer. Naruto shifted uncomfortably and tugged down his t-shirt—he was not in the mood to get arrested for having a gun on him. It wasn't loaded, but it was still a federal offense.

"Yes, please?" he replied, and the woman unlocked the display case, took the ring out with the utmost care, and handed it to him before locking the case again. He held it between his thumb and forefinger, studying it, and grinned.

The ring was white-gold like the one he'd seen before it, but it just screamed at him that it was the one for Sakura. The diamond was shaped like a rose, every petal carved beautifully. The band twisted together like vines, one strip studded with diamonds, the other carved silver.

"I'll take it!" he announced eagerly, and held the ring out to the woman. Still smiling too nicely, she took it back, led him to the counter, and asked for Sakura's ring size. Once she'd jotted that down, she dug around in the back, coming back out with a pink velvet box. She held it out to him, told him the price, and held her other hand out for his credit card.

He handed the card over to her, pocketed the ring, and signed his name. A few minutes later, after asking the woman's advice on when to propose (which hadn't gone very well—she wasn't married), he made his way back to the food court to get something to eat before heading back to guard duty. He'd explained his intentions to Kisame, who'd told him to go ahead and leave, but he would owe the other man big time.

Once he'd ordered from a ramen shop in the mall, he sat down and ate his food slowly, just staring at the ring in the little pink box. It was so pretty, and absolutely perfect for Sakura. Now he just had to decide when to propose. Maybe he'd ask the guys later, at Itachi's place. At the moment he was mostly concerned with his growling stomach and the steaming ramen in front of him.

He was just about to take another bite when his cell phone rang, and he dug around in his pocket to find it. It was Sakura—she had a special ring tone. "Hello?" he asked, his mouth half full.

"Naruto!" Sakura gasped, sounding upset. "You have to come home, now. The ANBU were just here, looking for you, and—"

"Sakura, calm down, what happened?" Naruto asked, feeling panic rise in his throat. Something was wrong. The ANBU had come to the house. Why? Why were they looking for him? What the hell was going on?

"They said—"

But Naruto never learned what they had said, because at that moment someone grabbed onto his shoulder and jerked him out of his chair. He was only just able to snatch up the ring and shove it into his pocket before his cell phone was knocked out of his hand and his arms were pulled behind his back. He struggled violently, thinking only of Sakura, how upset she was, what she would think when she realized he wasn't on the line anymore.

"Get off!" he shouted, ignoring the stares he was getting from the shoppers in the food court. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Viciously he kicked out and jerked his arms, trying to get out the grasp of whoever was holding him. Suddenly, though, he felt cold metal wrapping tightly around his wrists—hand cuffs. He screamed and tried to wrench away, but it wasn't working. Finally, he calmed down just enough to crane his neck around and get a look at who was holding him. He pursed his lips into a snarl.

"What the hell do you want, Nara?" he spat bitterly, glaring at Nara Shikaku, who was forcibly holding him by the arms. "I didn't do anything to you or your boss. Get off me."

"Uzumaki Naruto," Shikaku said in a business-like manner, "You're under arrest for suspicions of kidnapping. You have the right to remain silent…" Naruto tuned him out as soon as he heard "kidnapping." As Shikaku read him off his rights, Naruto tried to figure out why he was being charged with kidnapping that little kid. For Kami sake, he worked for Itachi, and Itachi had no reason to do something like that. Of course, he could think of one person who would want to kidnap a small child. Orochimaru had many reasons for what he did.

Someone started patting him up and down, checking for weapons or drugs or anything that might be used against him. That person stopped at his waist and lifted up his shirt so they could pull his gun out of its holster. Naruto sneered at Hagane Kotetsu as he weighed the gun in his hands and shook his head.

"Another charge for possession of prohibited firearms in a public area." Kotetsu motioned for Shikaku to take Naruto outside, which he did so rather roughly. Naruto dropped all his weight to his feet and refused to walk, making it as difficult as possible for them to drag him out to the squad car.

He was shoved without hesitation into the back of the ANBU vehicle, the door slammed shut behind him. He glared through the metal grate at the two men in the front as they drove away, saying only one thing: "I want my lawyer."



Sakura stared at the phone in her hand, hearing only the dull dial tone emitting from the receiver. Blinking, she hung it back on the hook and took a deep, calming breath. The ANBU had just come to her house, demanding that they see Naruto. After telling them she had no idea where he was, they'd forced their way in and ransacked the house trying to find him. She'd yelled for them to stop, but they'd ignored her and continued their search until coming up empty handed. Then, they'd walked out without another word and she'd taken several minutes to collect herself before calling and warning Naruto. And now…the line had gone dead.

The ANBU had caught up to him.

She had no idea why they were looking for him, why they needed him. She had half a mind to call Kakashi and leave him a very angry voicemail. Which, she decided, was the best course of action. Picking up the phone again, she dialed his number and waited while it rang. His bored voice came over the line, instructing the caller to leave a message at the beep and he'd get back to them in the next six months.

When she heard the beep, she took a breath and said, "Hatake Kakashi, I do not care who you are, who you work for, what your morals are, or that you're just trying to do your job. You better call me back and explain why the hell you sent your men over to come into my house, literally destroy it, then arrest my boyfriend without even explaining why. Your ass is mine, Kakashi."

Proudly she hung the phone up again, grabbed her coat off the back of the kitchen chair, and headed for the door. Slipping on her shoes, she hurried outside to her car and jumped in. She turned on the engine, threw it into reverse, and rushed down the driveway, dialing her cell phone as she went.

It rang for a few seconds before someone answered, and Sakura said, "Ino, meet me at Russo's. We have a situation. Oh, and bring whatever you have on forcibly entering and ransacking a persons home without permission. Thanks!"

**

* * *

Okay, there's the next chapter to my little Naruto mob story. I'm SO enjoying this. Between this story, and my soap operas, and my other story, life is good. But it will be a while before another update. SOOO sorry! **

**REVIEW!  
LUv much**

**Nicola**


	7. Chapter 7

"Well, this is certainly not within the legal privileges the ANBU possesses," Ino said, her tone clipped and straightforward. Sakura nodded, having already figured that that would be the case. She was sitting with Ino at a corner table at Russo's, going over what had happened only half an hour ago. Apparently, Ino had gotten Sakura's message about two minutes after she'd left it, and rushed over to Russo's with her briefcase and a folder full of papers in tow.

"Sakura took a sip of her coffee and shook her head. "I can't believe ANBU would do something like this. I mean, barging into our house like that?"

Ino tsked her tongue. "I know, I know. It's absolutely outrageous. So, are we going to head over there now or are we going to finish our coffee first?"

Sakura wasn't sure if Ino was being sarcastic or sincere, but she downed the rest of her coffee, threw a few bucks on the table, and stood up. "Let's go." Ino smiled as if that had been the right answer and led the way out of the coffee shop. Sakura followed a little more slowly, her mind working in ten different ways. Whatever Ino could do, she knew that the blonde would do it. But she still wasn't sure about her old friend. Ino and Sakura had been at ends over more than just Sasuke. They'd fought over other boys, over clothes, over who was the prettiest, who was the most athletic, who'd gotten the most glares from Sasuke that day. Okay, so almost everything they'd argued about had revolved around the Uchiha, but they'd been teenager girls.

What more of an answer could you want?

Sakura got into the drivers seat of her car, Ino in the passenger seat holding onto her briefcase and folders tightly, and drove quickly out of the parking lot. She watched Ino play with the radio, searching through the channels for a song that she would like to hear. Sakura tightened her grip on the steering wheel and ignored the woman next to her, the static and changing voices ringing through the car. If there was one thing she hated, it was having someone in the car with her that constantly changed the radio station. If they couldn't be happy with one station, then they shouldn't listen to the radio at all. But she would put up with it, as long as Ino got Naruto out of jail.

She still couldn't figure out why the ANBU had taken Naruto to the station, because there was no way they could suspect him of kidnapping that little boy. Maybe they'd gathered some evidence against him involving the many jobs that Itachi had asked him to do. Or maybe he was a witness to something they were investigating. Whatever it was, she planned on making sure Naruto got home safe and sound before dinnertime, which was fast approaching.

She pulled into the parking lot of the ANBU station, parking crookedly and hopping out as soon as the engine was off. Ino was right behind her, and they both strode purposefully into the main waiting area, where a woman with an irritated expression and dark brown, almost black, eyes sat behind a desk. She rapped her pencil impatiently on the desk as Ino and Sakura walked up to her, and frowned at them.

"What do you want?" she asked, her brow furrowed and that stupid pencil rapping against her papers even quicker. Sakura winced—the noise was irritating.

"I'm here to see my client, Uzumaki Naruto," Ino said briskly, grabbing Sakura by the wrist and pulling her towards the back. Obviously Ino know her way around the ANBU station. The receptionist did nothing to stop them, and they walked through a swinging door into what looked like a whole mess of things. There were desks, file cabinets, two cells, papers strewn everywhere, doors leading to wherever, and multiple other objects. Sakura looked around interestedly, trying to figure out which door Naruto was behind. She didn't have to think long, though, because she heard a loud, obnoxious, and angry voice coming from behind the third door.

"Give that back! What the hell do you want, dammit?!"

Ino made a beeline for that door, walking in as if it were her own living room. She flipped her ponytail over her shoulder, slammed her briefcase on the table separating Naruto and Kakashi, and slapped the folder next to it. Leafing through it, she dug out one paper and handed it to Kakashi, who scanned it over and sighed.

Sakura made a beeline for Naruto, pulling him into a hug and kissing him quickly on the lips. He was in handcuffs, she noticed, but he still managed to cup her face in his hands and bring her back for another kiss. She vaguely wondered what they had taken that had made him so angry, but quickly forgot about it as soon as his lips touched hers. "Naruto," she murmured when they parted, and he grinned goofily, that lop-sided grin she absolutely loved.

"…cannot enter a person's home and search without warrant. I am afraid that your men have committed a form of breaking and entering, and vandalism. Now, if you do not comply with the deal I have constructed," Ino said, placing another piece of paper in Kakashi's hands and taking the first away, "then Mr. Uzumaki will have no choice but to sue."

Blinking, Kakashi placed the paper down on the table and shook his head. He ran a hand through his gray hair, sighed, and dug into his pocket for his keys. "Get up, Naruto." Naruto glanced at Sakura, then Ino, and complied, standing and allowing Kakashi to unlock the handcuffs and remove them from his wrists. "Go. Just…leave." Kakashi's voice was filled with disbelief, but Sakura didn't hesitate. She grabbed Naruto's hand, squeezed Ino's shoulder, and rushed out.

Ino came out behind them, looking rather satisfied with herself. "I do say, Naruto, I should ask Itachi if I might have a raise for this."

Rolling his eyes, Naruto said, "Not a chance, Ino. But really, thanks. I don't know what I'd do without you." Then, his eyes widened and he turned around. "Hang on, I forgot something!" Sakura watched him dash back into the interrogation room, and a few seconds later he was out, patting the pocket of his jeans.

"What did you need to get?" she asked him as they walked out to her car. Ino flopped into the back seat and Sakura started the car. She watched Naruto rub his wrists out of the corner of her eye, waiting for him to answer her.

"Hmm? Oh, just my phone. They took it from me." He smiled that lopsided goofy grin she loved so much, and all reserves about whatever item it was melted away, along with her heart. How could she possibly love him as much as she did? And what had she done to deserve him?

vvv

He ran a hand through his black hair, licked his lips, and increased the speed of his Jaguar. He couldn't quite figure out what had just happened, or why he was so flustered over it, and the only thing he knew to do was drive—fast.

Uchiha Sasuke glanced in his rearview mirror to make sure there weren't any cops or Itachi's henchmen following him and screeched off the highway and onto a back road he had traveled on dozens of times before. A few hours ago he'd seen for the second time the beautiful girl that had doted on him for years. And she had told him off, plain and simple. Never before, at least from what he could recall, had Sakura been able to resist him, especially not when he stood that close to her. It was completely out of the ordinary for her. He couldn't figure out why she would tell him to leave her alone when she'd used to beg for his attention. Maybe she'd changed more than he'd expected.

Sasuke slowed down as he went around a curve, remembering what had happened the night before. He'd only barely been able to control his car and keep it from crashing into the house, the fence, the trees. And behind him, as he drove away, he'd heard screams, the screech of breaks, and a sickening crash. All was quiet after that. He would never admit it, because that was just how he was, but he'd been frightened for his old friends. He'd known what he was getting into when he'd challenged Naruto to that race, known exactly what would happen. But he hadn't realized Sakura was next to him until just before they took off.

Shaking his head, Sasuke pulled off onto a dirt road and got out, taking a deep breath of the crisp October air. He had heard his brother was having a ball, at their house, and he fully intended on going. Since it was a masquerade, he could be disguised and no one would give him a second glance. He definitely wasn't going to pass up a chance like this. No doubt that one of Itachi's head men would be there, and since Sakura was obviously dating Naruto, she would be there, too. An opportune moment to set things straight with her. Well, at least, as straight as they could get.

Tomorrow night.

vvv

Sakura fluffed her hair in the mirror, staring at her reflection skeptically. Naruto was in the other room, their bedroom, getting out his suit and hanging it up so that it would be ready for tomorrow night. Personally, Sakura was a little nervous about the ball going to be held at Itachi's, but if Naruto wasn't worried, she wasn't about to let him known that she was.

Her dress, still neatly covered in its bag and hanging off of the top of the door in the bathroom, was waiting to be worn, her hair appointment was set up, and she had the perfect shoes to wear—they only had the smallest of heels, and didn't have a strap around the heel, so she could have her brace on and not be uncomfortable. The only thing she was worried about was her inevitable clumsiness. She couldn't imagine walking through a crowded ballroom, much less dancing. Even in high school she had refused to dance with anyone for fear she would fall and embarrass herself. Only after Sasuke left had she been able to let go and allow herself to dance with Naruto, but only Naruto.

Speak of the devil, she thought coyly as the blonde walked into the bathroom and put his arms around her waist, kissing her on the cheek. He, too, looked at their reflection, and their eyes met in the mirror. She smiled at him, and he smiled back.

"I don't know why you stare in the mirror so long," he said, pressing his cheek against hers. "I mean, I tell you enough that you're beautiful. Shouldn't you know it by now?"

Laughing, Sakura elbowed him in the ribs and stepped away from the mirror. He followed her out of their bedroom and into the kitchen, where she dug around in the fridge for an apple. "Yum," she said, biting into the red fruit. Naruto wrinkled his nose and reached into the microwave for his ramen. She rolled her eyes. "All you ever eat is ramen."

"Yup," he agreed, his mouth already full. He swallowed. "It's the most delicious thing in the world. And it's all I will ever eat."

"Oh, okay," she muttered, biting off another piece of her apple and heading into the living room. Naruto, of course, was right behind her, still slurping up spicy noodles and smacking contentedly. She flopped on the couch, reaching for the remote. Naruto sat next to her and she cuddled up next to him, flipping through the channels until she found a satisfactory comedy show.

This was how she and Naruto spent most of their nights—curled up on the couch, watching sitcoms, game shows, or the news and just enjoying each others company. They'd been getting out more often recently, but still, Sakura enjoyed the normalcy after the past few days. Hurting her ankle, nearly getting killed, confronting Sasuke in the alley (which she would never tell Naruto about), and having to get Naruto out of jail was just becoming too much. Just being able to come home, get a snack, and waste the night away with her boyfriend was nice, really, really nice.

Only one thing made it hard to actually enjoy the night—the fact that Sasuke had tried to talk to her today, that he'd actually come up and spoken to her like he used to, like nothing had ever happened between the three friends. What an ass. He would never change. But his ignorance wasn't what made her antsy. The knowledge that he was in Konoha, that he was so close made her jumpy. One small part of her was actually glad, pleased, even, that Sasuke had come home. Hadn't she dreamed of him returning and becoming the friend they all knew he would always be? In a perfect world, everything would work out like that.

Her common sense took the lead, though, keeping the focus on Sasuke's current status as Number Two, one of the most dangerous men out there, beneath only his boss, Orochimaru. Whatever internal dilemma she may normally have had was pushed away by the thought that Sasuke could kill her, and that she had Naruto to live for. She would never take any risks that might hurt him. He was her life, the man who loved her more than he loved anything else. That included ramen, but she was just about positive that ramen came in a close second. In fact, as children, Naruto had told her that.

Just as the sitcom was reaching its climax, Sakura heard the dreaded noise coming from Naruto's pocket. She sighed loudly, heavily, and stood up, turning of the TV as she did. Sheepishly Naruto took out his phone and answered it, but she didn't stay long enough to hear what he was saying. She walked into the kitchen, threw the last half of her apple into the trash with more force than necessary, and violently kicked the wall. Now that her toe was throbbing painfully, she could calm down and focus all her anger on the wall that had hurt her, not the person.

"I'm sorry," Naruto apologized the moment he walked in, striding over to give her a quick kiss. She avoided it, so that he awkwardly kissed her beneath the ear instead, and walked away from him. "Look, Sakura, really, I'm sorry. I'll be home later, okay?"

"Yeah," she mumbled, not watching him leave and waiting for the sound of the door slamming behind him before walking back to the living room and curling up on the couch. Why did his stupid job have to get in the way of everything? He hardly had any time to spend with her anymore. At least, it seemed that way. Every time they tried to just watch TV or do something together, his stupid phone rang. She had half a mind to take it and chuck it out the window or something, but fear of Itachi's wrath kept her throwing arm at bay.

Refusing to turn the TV on, Sakura pulled a pillow to her chest and rested her chin on it, facing the back of the couch. She absolutely hated Naruto's job. It always seemed to take him away from her at the most inopportune moments. And now that she wasn't working herself, it was ten times harder to watch him walk out that door and know that she was going to be home alone for the next forever. At least, it felt like forever to her. Wallowing in her own sorrow made it easier somehow, and for some reason she found herself starting to focus on a certain someone with black hair and black eyes.

The venom she felt towards Sasuke was nothing compared to how angry she was with Naruto, Itachi, and the whole business. At least Sasuke was trying to make amends, even though she would never forgive him. Naruto just up and left, and yes, she'd acted like a two year old, but how else was she supposed to react? If she pouted and made him feel bad, he would come home sooner. Right? Well, she hoped so.

About thirty minutes into her moping session, someone knocked on their back door. Thinking that it was odd for someone to be at the back door, not the front, Sakura struggled up from the couch and walked stiffly towards the kitchen, wondering who the hell it could be. As she walked through the doorway, she hit her elbow on the door frame and cursed under her breath. Stupid funny damn bone. She didn't find it funny at all.

Before opening the door, she flipped on the back light, but whoever it was had their head down. She couldn't see their face. Halfheartedly wondering if it was Sai coming to tell her that Naruto had mistakenly been assigned and it was his shift to do whatever, she opened the door and peered through the screen.

"Yeah?" she asked, setting her bad foot on its toes to rest her ankle, and moving her weight to her good foot.

The person lifted up his head and tilted it, his black eyes boring curiously into hers. There was an expression in them that she couldn't remember ever seeing in them before, but she couldn't quite place it. Whatever it was, she pushed it from her mind and fought with the urge to slam the door in his face. He was just damn lucky that Naruto wasn't home—if he had been, he would've taken his gun and shot him in the face ten times over, then another two for good measure.

"What do you want?" she snapped, and the Uchiha man looked slightly hurt.

"Well, Sakura, I had assumed I'd get a better welcome than that. I mean, I did come up to your back door." He blinked at her, his familiar smirk missing from his features. Sakura couldn't tear herself away from the thought.

"Front door or back door, Sasuke, you're not welcome here, okay? Hell, you're not welcome in the city!" She gestured wildly with her hands, anger at both Sasuke and Naruto fueling this current rant. "All you ever did was ignore me and tell me how stupid I was, and then you left! So now you want me to forgive you and welcome you with open arms into my house? You're effing wrong if you think that, Uchiha Sasuke!"

She didn't remember opening the screen door and walking onto the back porch, but there she was, standing in front of Sasuke, glaring viciously at his perfect, gorgeous face. He didn't say anything, just stared back evenly, remembering all the horrible things he'd done, she hoped. Then again…She was drawn to the look in his eyes, the spark that burned behind there that she couldn't recall seeing there in the past. Her brain racked for a word for it, throwing away hatred, anger, and happiness for the simple reason that she'd seen him angry and happy, and seen him when he heard his brother's name in conversation. It wasn't passion—Sasuke didn't feel passion. Nor was it his trademark bored expression, or curiosity, or annoyance.

And then it clicked.

He was hopeful. Uchiha Sasuke was hopeful. Hopeful of what, she wasn't sure, but it startled her nonetheless enough to let him in the kitchen. He leaned comfortably against the counter as she dug around in the fridge and came out with a tomato, which she promptly tossed to him. Sasuke caught it easily and bit into the juicy fruit, somehow managing to keep the tomato juice from going all over his chin and seeping out of the corners of his mouth. He had a soft mouth, she saw, remembering how she would have described him in their teenage years.

Back then, she saw him as tall, dark, brooding, and absolutely the most amazing thing she'd ever seen. He'd always had a soft mouth, and dark eyes that reminded her of closed doors, always there, never revealing what was behind them. And his hair was always stuck out at odd angles, untamable. His nose was perfectly shaped, directly between both evenly spaced eyes, and his face was angular, wonderfully proportioned. Yes, she felt like she was judging some kind of animal as she thought this, but it was true. Uchiha Sasuke was as close to perfect as anyone of the male gender could be. He appealed to her in every way, from his good looks to his alluring, velvety voice and warm arms. Not that she'd ever been held by him—she'd just imagined it time and time again.

"I don't even know why you're in my kitchen," she told him bluntly, shaking her head as she limped past, pacing back and forth between the sink and the kitchen table. "I mean, it's not like you're my ally or anything. Definitely not a friend. You betrayed us. So why the hell are you here?"

"Because you want me to be," Sasuke offered simply, sounding as if he were sure of the fact. She rolled her eyes.

"Oh, yeah? And how do you know that?"

"You let me in," Sasuke said, moving closer to her. "That, in your own way, means you care, and you want me here. Besides, it's no fun staying in a big, dark house all by yourself. Naruto's not here to keep you warm."

Raising her eyebrows and judging that the distance between them was slowly decreasing, she said, "Oh, really. I'm just fine in this big house by myself. You're not welcome here, Sasuke. Go back to your pedophilic boss and have fun there."

"Ooh, ouch," he chuckled, taking one last step until they were a hairs width apart. He reached up and touched her cheek, and she pushed his hand away. She was not going to get close to this stupid freak again. Last time it had nearly cost her heart and what love she might have had left for anyone else. It wasn't easy having to be put through something like that. Unless you had someone you loved blow you off and leave for your worst enemy (other than Ino), you didn't know what it felt like.

"Just leave me alone, Sasuke," she whispered, already feeling her reserves slipping and her heart melting into those arms she'd always wanted to hold her. "I can't…no, I'm with Naruto. And you're…you're a…oh, Kami, I don't know."

His arms were wrapped around her now, holding her to his chest and rubbing her back comfortingly. "It's okay, Sakura. I'm here."

A small part of her brain told her that this was just a horrific idea, that she was being disloyal to her amazing boyfriend, whose name she couldn't recall at the moment. But she ignored that little voice and allowed herself to be towed into the living room, to the couch.

vvv

The next day, at Russo's, Jiraiya sat sipping his coffee and reading the morning news when a rather distraught-looking Sai (as distraught as Sai could get) rushed in and tore the paper from his hands. Okay, he didn't really tear it away, but he took it from him, and that was tearing in Sai-world.

Jiraiya blinked at the loss of his sports page, looked around for it, and finally rested his gaze on Sai. He tilted his head to the side, confused, and sipped his coffee. Swallowing, he asked, "So, what's up with you today, boy? You look ready to have a heart attack." The man at the counter raised an eyebrow at the suggestion—for Sai looked completely calm and placid to him—and went back to shining the countertops.

"I need to talk to you about those shipments," Sai muttered, sounding urgent in his own way. Jiraiya nodded, motioned to the man at the counter that he would be back momentarily, and walked outside with the black-haired Itachi loyal. He leaned against the brick wall and crossed his arms, already becoming impatient. It was only nine in the morning, on a Saturday, and he was in dire need of finishing his coffee. He had no time for Sai and whatever petty problem had come up now.

"Alright, Sai, what do you want?" Jiraiya asked irritably. This better be fast.

"We've had sightings of Uchiha Sasuke in the area," Sai rattled off quickly, digging in his pocket and resurfacing with his touch-screen cell phone. Jiraiya watched in amazement as the young man flipped through at least a dozen screens, finally landing on an email that had been sent to him anonymously.

"Okay…I didn't think you could send those anonymously…?" In all honesty, Jiraiya was confused, and even more irritated by the seemingly endless amount of places Sai could go on his cell phone without even thinking about it. Jiraiya himself had trouble working with his simple, four-numbers-only phone. Jeez.

"Are you paying attention? Read the email," Sai insisted, his voice slightly panicky. Any passerby who did not know Sai would think he was just annoyed, or bored, or indifferent. You had to know Sai very well to see when he was freaking out or not. Otherwise it was undetectable.

"Oh, right. Sorry." Jiraiya focused on the email, and his eyebrows shot up in shock. Was this really possible? According to the message, someone had allegedly seen a man matching the description of Uchiha Sasuke walking up to Naruto and Sakura's house, being invited in by a pink-haired woman and leaving several hours later. If this was true, then it meant that Sakura was having an affair with someone who was probably Sasuke. But Jiraiya couldn't believe it. This was Sakura they were talking about. Not some cheap slut from the next city. It was Haruno Sakura, one of the most respected women in the city of Konohagakure! 

"Whatever," Jiraiya finally said, shaking his head. He pushed Sai's hand away and sighed. "If you want to believe it, then fine. But I don't. Sakura's too smart for that. And she's too devoted to Naruto."

Sai scoffed, looking as insulted as was possible for him and shoved his phone back in his pocket. "Fine. Be that way. But Ugly is still up to something. And I'm going to find out just what it is."

Disgusted that Sai was still calling Sakura "Ugly" even though he'd been threatened multiple times by both Naruto and Tsunade, Jiraiya just shook his head and went back inside for the rest of his coffee. It was still waiting for him on the counter. He picked it up and downed half of it with a contented sigh. Good old nice, warm, coffee. Always did its job.

He couldn't get the anonymous email out of his head. He may have been old, yet he wasn't stupid. He had more experience than even Itachi in this business, having seen it from both sides of the playing field. He knew how the system worked and how mob bosses thought. So it frustrated him that Naruto's girlfriend was even suspected of housing Sasuke when Naruto wasn't in the house.

And how the hell did you send an email anonymously?!

vvv

Sakura hissed under her breath as she heard Naruto walking around by their bedroom. She continued to furiously scrub the breakfast dishes, rubbing the rag over each plate and utensil with a little more force than necessary. One of the ceramic plates cracked and a piece fell off; she greeted this accident with a sigh of hopelessness and threw the broken pieces into the trash can at her left. And then, of course, when she went to pick up another fork out of the dishwater, she knocked her thumb against a knife and gave herself a cut.

The dishwater ran red and she yanked her hand out, rinsing off the stinging soap under the running faucet. She cursed angrily under her breath, grabbing a paper towel off the roll and wrapping it around her injured thumb. The towel quickly reddened, and she yanked out the drain plug with the other hand before the dishes could be too badly damaged by the blood. Once the water was running out of the sink, she hurried out of the kitchen and down the hall, bumping into Naruto.

He stopped her and held her hand up above her head. "To stem the blood flow," he said, and she smiled in thanks, feeling miserably guilty for…well, for something she didn't even want to think about right now.

Naruto put her hand in the sink and let the water run over the cut, clearing away the blood that had collected all along her thumb. She winced—it stung—but stayed there while he pulled out peroxide, cotton balls, and a band aid. Feeling foolish, she allowed him to clean the wound with the peroxide, dab around it with a cotton ball, and place the band aid over it. It seemed that everything he did he did lovingly, with as much care as he would do with an injured puppy or kitten or some other pathetic thing. And truthfully, she was feeling pretty pathetic at the moment.

"Thanks," she said happily, and kissed him on the cheek. She felt her stomach twist as she did so, and images of her and a black-haired someone on the couch in the den flashed through her mind. She pulled away quickly, trying to stash the memory away where she wouldn't have to think of it again. Knowing the mind block was only temporary, she walked back into the kitchen with Naruto at her heels.

Naruto kept his hand on her waist as she went to finish the dishes, then stopped her and nuzzled her neck. She swallowed hard, resting her hands on the edge of the sink and felt her throat swell tight. It was hard to breath, hard to focus on anything when Naruto was kissing her neck like that, when all she could think of was what she'd done last night. Oh, Kami, please, make it stop. This was punishment—she knew it was. There was no other explanation for it.

"Naruto," she muttered, "quit it. I've gotta clean up in here."

Naruto chuckled into the crook of her neck and wrapping his arms all the way around her waist, holding her tightly to him. She felt warm, safe, and familiar in his arms, free of any worries that might have plagued her seconds ago. That is, until she looked at the back door, saw herself opening it and walking onto the porch, letting an unwanted guest inside and leading him to the living room.

"Really," she said, louder this time. "I haven't got much time until my hair appointment. Sorry, Naruto." He whimpered, and she turned around to give him a quick peck on the lips. "As a matter of fact, I should be going now. Bye!"

And just like that, she was heading out the door, grabbing her keys as she went. She really didn't care that she was still in her pajamas—she had a hoody in the car she could wear over her ratty old shirt. As for the red plaid flannel pants? Like anyone really noticed anyway. Besides, she needed to get out and get away from all this.

Once she was safe inside her car, she turned up the radio as loud as she could, threw her cell phone into the passenger seat, and tore down the road. Her head was pounding relentlessly, and her heart thrummed madly in her chest. She was overloaded with guilt at the moment, torn because of a visit from an old friend that should not have happened.

Last night, Uchiha Sasuke had shown up at their door. Being the only one home, she'd taken it upon herself to let him have it. But he had somehow pulled her strings and made his way (with her leading) into the living room. For hours, she had sat next to him, just talking. And eventually, she ended up leaning against him, her head resting on his chest, his arms around her. They'd talked, just talked, about everything. They'd brought each other up to date on what was going on in their lives, careful to avoid anything involving the mob, reconciled about old times growing up, funny moments, and then she'd told him things she hadn't even fathomed telling Naruto.

She had explained how she felt about the Bouryokudan, about what they did, how she was scared every day, described her insecurities and worries, her fears and the little things that made her laugh. She didn't know how it happened, just that it did, and that she'd felt amazing afterwards. It felt almost like lifting a huge weight off her shoulders that she never noticed there before.

"Oh, I'm so stupid!" she screeched into the loud music filtering through her car, banging her fist on the steering wheel. She nearly jumped out of her skin as she mistakenly hit the horn, and it beeped brightly at her. Breathing out a hard breath, she reached over, turned down the music, and stopped at the red light. Her hair appointment wasn't for another thirty minutes, and she was already about to turn into the salon. Wow. She really did need mental health.

But she'd desperately needed an escape from all the good things that Naruto was made up of, when she herself was just so impure. And stupid. Couldn't forget stupid.

Once she pulled into the hair place, she realized just how retarded she would look in her pajamas, even if she did have a hoody on. She hit her steering wheel again, this time straying from the horn, and stepped self-consciously out of the car. No one was around, so she darted inside clutching her money in her hand, and halted at the front desk.

The receptionist—who knew Sakura well—grinned and said, "A little frazzled this morning, honey?"

"You don't know the half of it," Sakura muttered as she signed in, and waited to be led away to the chair. A few moments later, she was lying back with her head in a sink, enjoying the nice wash she was getting. For a little while, she could forget about everything going on in her life and just relax. After her hair appointment, she had a nail appointment, and then would go home for dinner, then get ready and head over to Itachi's mansion for the ball.

She was rather excited about going, even though she still got a little nervous at the thought. So many things could go wrong in just one night, but she had to keep thinking that nothing would happen to her as long as Naruto was there to keep her safe. And Itachi wouldn't let anything or anyone bad inside his house. Whenever she drove past it, she thought it looked like an impenetrable fortress, and the huge window she knew led to the Uchiha man's study drew the attention of her eyes every time. She could almost see him in the window, watching all the goings on in his world, the world he quietly ruled over.

"How would you like your hair, hon?" the hairdresser asked, and Sakura jerked out of her reverie. She was already in the spinning black chair, facing the mirror. Her pink hair was plastered to her head and clung to the sides of her face, sopping wet. With a shrug, she reached up and scratched an itch on her nose.

"Um, up, please," she replied, the hairdresser nodded, and went to work.

While the woman snipped and pinned and twisted and tugged at her hair, Sakura focused on her green eyes. They were the same they'd always been—big, bright, completely open to her soul. But now there was something else in there, something secretive that she kept hidden behind closed doors, something that she would never, ever tell Naruto. Uchiha Sasuke had paid a visit to her. And he had made her feel like she'd never felt before—it wasn't just a feeling of being loved. It was more that that. The closest she could settle on was Sasuke made her feel as if she knew the reason to everything, as if all her questions were answered, that there were no more unanswered inquiries she could ever make. Why was the sky blue? Because of Sasuke. Why did the sun rise and set? Because of Sasuke.

But the real question—the one that Sasuke wasn't the answer to—was why did she feel so strongly about someone she hadn't seen in years? Why was she apparently so close to him when she held more hatred towards him than anyone else? And why did that hatred just disappear at the sound of his voice, with one look in his black, cobalt eyes?

vvv

Neji held Tenten's hand as they sat on his back porch, rocking back and forth on the porch swing. They'd been together since Tenten had showed up at his house and kissed him. Finally, after all those years pining away for each other, they'd admitted their feelings toward one another, and spent the night curled up in Neji's bed, arms wrapped around each other. Thank goodness that Hanabi had been out most of the night, and hadn't asked questions when the two walked into the kitchen that morning.

Tenten looked over at Neji, and leaned her head against his shoulder with a content sigh. She'd never been so happy in her life, didn't plan to be any happier. She was with the man she loved, and he loved her back. Neji kissed the top of her brown head, squeezed her hand, and slipped off the porch swing.

She looked strangely at him, wondering what the heck he was doing. He knelt on one knee on the cement, digging around in his pocket and resurfacing with a silver diamond ring between his fingers. She could only gasp, blink, and put a hand over her mouth. Neji held her free hand, looking up with those pale eyes of his, pale eyes full of emotions, full of love.

"Tenten," he said, rubbing her fingers, "I've known you for years, ever since we were kids. And I've adored you every single one of those days. You are the most beautiful, most loving, kindest woman I have ever met. And I know I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Tenten, I love you." He held the ring up, his expression as serious and as hopeful as it would ever be. "Will you please be my wife?"

Tenten did not know what to think. She was in shock. For several minutes, she just stared at him, fighting back the tears threatening to overflow. She didn't cry—she never had cried—but now…Neji was proposing to her. He was asking her to spend the rest of their lives together, to get married, have kids, work and live side by side, grow old together and love each other every single day they were alive. It was what she'd always dreamed of. And yet…she couldn't believe it.

Finally, she nodded slowly, then flung herself at Neji and started kissing him all over—on the lips, cheeks, nose, chin, forehead, wherever her lips could reach. He pulled away for a moment to slip the ring on her finger, and she admired it, her brown eyes sparkling like they never had before.

* * *

**Okay, there you have it. Slightly shorter than usual, but still, it's good. besides, I've been waiting to get to this ball for weeks!!!!!!!**

**Lol, I enjoyed working with Sakura's guilt over being with Sasuke (no they didn't do anything) and finally having Neji propose to Tenten. But trust me, this story doesn't have many happy moments coming up. It's actually rather sad, dramatic, and suspenseful, to be truthful. I'm excited! **

**Hope you enjoyed it! REVIEW!**

**Luv Much!**

**Nicola**


	8. Chapter 8

**Phew! Okay, I know it's been like freakin' forever since I've updated, but I have reasons:**

**I got a job, (Boo food lion), my dad lost my iPod so I had no inspirational music, I've been swamped with schoolwork and FFA practices for Parly Law since States is coming up soon, and i've barely been able to see my horse or go to church and youth group! I'm TIRED. Lol. But I got a new iPod (4 gig, but it's okay, my old one was an 8 gig), and I've been forcing myself to sit down and write.**

**So here it is, the first chapter of the ball. I hope you enjoy it!**

**Luv much!**

**Nicola**

* * *

Sakura twirled around in front of the full body mirror on the back of her closet door, skeptically studying her appearance and smiling. Even she had to admit that the strapless, elegant dress looked good on her. She would have to thank Naruto ten times over (again) for finding such a perfect dress to wear to the ball. It was just amazing the way it fit her bodice, and then ruffled out in a long, poof-y skirt that covered her ankle brace perfectly, and allowed her to wear flats (thank Kami).

Naruto walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and admiring their reflection in the mirror. "Mmm, you look good," he murmured in her ear, and she giggled, all previous feelings from earlier disappearing for that moment. She also had to admit that Naruto looked rather handsome in his black suit, black tie, and white collared shirt. He had already put his black mask on, creating an image of mysteriousness and of the unknown. She picked up her own white mask, and held it to her face, her fingers wrapped around the six-inch stick protruding downwards from the right side of it.

"And you look rather handsome yourself," she said, grinning and stepping away from the mirror. She lowered her mask, headed out of the bedroom, and checked the back door. It was locked. Naruto shook his head as he tried to pull her away from making sure the latches on the windows were shut tight.

"Sakura, come on, sweetie, no one's going to get inside. I promise. Besides, they're all too afraid to anyway," he added, chuckling. She wrinkled her nose good-naturedly, checked the latches anyway, and finally allowed him to haul her towards the front door. "Hold on, shut your eyes."

Hesitantly, Sakura obediently closed her eyes, but only after a suspicious glance at Naruto's mischievous grin. She let him lead her outside, feeling the chilly night air hit her arms and give her goose bumps. Whatever Naruto was planning, it must be good, because he placed his hand over her eyes to make sure she wasn't peeking. She laughed as he told her to stop and began counting down from five.

"Naruto!" she giggled, feeling foolish. "What are you—?"

"Open!"

He took his hand away from her eyes, and she opened them. Her breath caught in her throat and she covered her mouth with her hands, amazed.

Before her, parked in front of their house, was a long, black, shiny limousine complete with a driver waiting with the back door open. The limo looked brand new, and Naruto was grinning like an idiot. Sakura looked at those big blue eyes behind the black mask, squealed, and flew into his arms. He laughed and kissed her passionately. The moment his lips touched hers, a shock went through her body, her eyes popped open, images flashed through her mind. Her, Sasuke, the couch, talking, together, in her and Naruto's house….her letting out all her secrets to him….leaning up against him and breathing in the cologne she knew only he wore.

Quickly, she pulled away from Naruto and hurried to the limo, calling over her shoulder, "Come on! We don't want to be late!" Naruto followed, still laughing, and slid inside next to her. He grabbed her hand and kissed it, while she flushed guiltily in the darkness of the limo. It was around seven thirty, just when the sun went completely down; Itachi's party started at eight.

"Oh," Naruto said when they started off, "I forgot. The ball's not at his house—we're all supposed to meet at the docks and take the yacht to the mansion on his private island, if you can believe that."

Sakura blinked. She was momentarily distracted from her guilt and distress over what happened two nights ago by the fact that Itachi not only had a yacht, but a private island, too. She hadn't known about that, much less known the ball was being held at his private mansion on the island. Wow.

"Okay, sure. Does everyone else know?"

"Actually, the instructions were on the invitation," Naruto said, smiling. "So they all should know."

Sakura nodded and sat back in the seat, focusing on the night ahead and all the possible things that could happen. Mostly, she imagined spending the ball dancing with Naruto, chatting with her friends, eating gourmet food, and relishing the feel of the bound to be extravagantly elegant ballroom in Itachi's island mansion. But in the back of her mind, she couldn't help thinking that something was going to go wrong. It wasn't as if she had the best track record in the world. Every time she or Naruto tried to have a nice night, or whenever there was a major event in the city, something bad always happened. It never failed.

The only thing she could do was pray that it all turned out okay.



By seven-fifty-five, Sakura, Naruto, and the other hundred or so guests were on the boat, on their way to Itachi's island that no one had honestly really known about until the invitations were sent out. The night sky glittered with stars, twinkling brightly down at them. Dark blue, almost black waters lapped at the sides of the boat, sending the yacht rocking back and forth in a motion Sakura found rather soothing. The guests milled about, talking amongst themselves and greeting everyone they knew, and then some. Sakura had smiled and learned so many more names that her head was spinning. She really hoped that the guests didn't expect her to remember who they were in a few hours—she'd always been terrible with names.

Naruto stood firmly by Sakura's side, his hand on her waist as he grinned and greeted those individuals he knew from work. Hinata, Tsunade, Choji, and Kiba were all there, along with multiple members of the ANBU squad, and nearly everyone who worked for Itachi. Sakura saw Tenten and Neji looking deliriously happy together (finally), Hiashi and Hanabi eyeing each other cautiously, as if afraid of confronting their problems, much less each other; Ino was also there, whizzing around like the social butterfly she was, and sending several endearing looks in Shikamaru's direction. Sakura vaguely wondered why Shikamaru was invited anyway.

Shikamaru paid hardly a bit of attention to the other lawyer, though, for he was too busy avoiding any confrontation with his father, who was also not so subtly ignoring him. Kurenai held onto Asuma's arm as he spoke with Kakashi and Ibiki. Gai stalked about, watching Kakashi suspiciously, while Rock Lee bounded after him with question after question. And Sakura couldn't help but notice that there was a rather handsome man giving Hinata interested looks. What was his name…? Oh, yes, Sarugaku Tsuzumi, an old member of ANBU who had quit because of the pressures of the job. Sakura didn't blame him—she wouldn't join ANBU for her life.

"Well, hello, Naruto," Nara Shikaku said, and Sakura turned her gaze back to the man who had just walked up. Naruto held out his hand, and Shikaku grasped it firmly in his own. Sakura smiled politely and bowed her head in recognition, keeping both her hands busy by nonchalantly holding onto Naruto's arm.

"Nice to see you again, Shikaku," the blonde replied, grinning. "How have you been?"

Shikaku shrugged. "Eh, alright. Could be better, though, what with this missing child and all. Yourself?"

Sakura bristled—she'd forgotten completely about that little boy being missing. Maybe she should've asked Sasuke about that…no, now wasn't the time to think about Sasuke. Now was the time to focus on what was going on tonight, with her and Naruto and everyone else going to this ball. Oh yes, and Itachi. Couldn't forget about Itachi.

"…looking out for anyone matching those initials," Shikaku was saying, obviously in a serious investigation conversation with Naruto. Sakura pretended to be only mildly interested, when really she was all ears. "If you see anyone, you'll let us know, right?"

For a moment, Sakura was afraid that Naruto might show some sign of having seen Sasuke a few days ago, but thankfully he just smiled, nodded, and said, "Of course. I can only think that it would be helpful to the ANBU to catch this guy. Hell, it would be helpful to the rest of us!"

Shikaku chuckled, patted Naruto on the shoulder, muttered his thanks and "nice seeing you again" and left. Sakura looked up at Naruto with a confused expression.

"So…you didn't tell anyone else about what happened?"

"Nope," Naruto said, his smile still pasted on his face as another person he knew walked up and greeted him. Sakura tuned out the conversation and went back to staring at the crowds, watching all her friends mill about and talk about the latest gossip. It was actually rather nice and peaceful on the yacht with all these other people, sort of safe and welcoming. She couldn't help but wonder why Itachi wasn't on the ship, too, but then again, he probably needed to be at the house to keep everything organized and to greet guests as they came onto the island.

Suddenly, in the midst of a throng of guests, Sakura thought she saw a flash of white skin, white skin that looked very, very, unpleasantly familiar. Her grip on Naruto's arm tightened, and she scanned the crowds again, trying to find the source of the white strip. But it had seemingly disappeared in the mass of people, there and then gone. Naruto looked down worriedly at her, having realized she was clinging rather tightly to his arm.

"Um, Sakura, are you okay?"

Snapping out of her urgent search, Sakura looked up with a confused frown, then smiled brightly and said, "Yes, I'm fine. Sorry, just got a little knocked off balance there."

The man Naruto was talking to—whom Sakura didn't care to recognize—said, "Yeah, it's always hard to get your sea legs for the first few trips. Don't worry, you'll be a trooper soon enough!"

Sakura looked properly sheepish as she said, "I should hope so!"

Once the man had walked away, Naruto turned to Sakura and gave her a knowing look. "Alright," he said, leading her to the railing so they could pretend to be looking out at the dark water. "What's going on? You've never looked that upset before. So spill it."

Putting on her most serious expression, Sakura leaned towards Naruto and murmured, "I think I just saw someone's face." She scowled when he snorted and kissed her cheek. She turned away so he hit her ear instead, and glared out at the water. In the distance she could see the mansion, looming monstrously over the rocky island it was placed on. They were almost there.

"Are you sure? I mean, could you specify? There are a lot of faces on this ship," Naruto teased, earning a very angry pinch from Sakura. He winced. "Oh, come on, really, what did you see? Or, rather, who did you see?"

She swung back around and glared into his dancing eyes. "I think I saw Orochimaru mixed in with a whole bunch of people, but the second I saw him, he just vanished." With a nervous glance around her, she went on, "I'm not lying, Naruto. I swear that he was there. I saw his white skin."

Everyone who knew about Orochimaru knew of his strange appearance, of his snow white skin and snake eyes. It was a mystery as to why he looked this way, but no one dared ask him. He had a sensitive spot when the subject of his looks came up, and at the slightest comment he would not hesitate to shoot you where you stood. Sakura had been warned many times that if she ever saw the snake mobster she was to run, or to slip away quietly. Never should she try to confront him or even make eye contact. The man was like a predator, hunting his prey, playing sick games with his next target.

The look on Naruto's face was grim, and he held tightly to Sakura's hand. Looking her straight in the eye, he said, "If you did see him, then that means he's on his way to ambush Itachi's party. And that's pretty serious business, hon. I'm going to tell the others, as long as you're sure," he added, and when she nodded firmly, he led her off across the boat, pushing other guests out of the way. They stopped when they reached the front, where Jiraiya stood talking to Anko.

Anko glanced up at Naruto's grimace, and frowned. "What's wrong?" she asked, all business. Jiraiya leaned against the railing and watched, waiting for an answer. Sakura noticed that his eyes strayed over her for a few seconds too long, but not in his usual perverted way. His brow was furrowed, and he almost looked suspicious. She clung tighter to Naruto, if that was possible. What did he know?

"Sakura thinks she saw Oro on the boat," Naruto murmured, and the shocked looks on Anko and Jiraiya's faces said it all—they knew that it was plausible, and that if it were true, everyone was in danger.

Anko shot Sakura quick look, and frowned when she nodded. "Great. That's what we need—a psychopath loose in Itachi's private mansion. Wonderful."

Jiraiya nodded, agreeing. "We'll keep an eye out, Naruto. I'll tell the rest to be on their toes, too. But don't let Deidara, Tenten, or Neji know. It would ruin Tenten and Neji's night, and Deidara can't keep his fat mouth shut for the life of him. Okay?" Naruto murmured his agreement, and led the still nervous Sakura off.

They took their places by the rail again as the boat slowed and began to dock by Itachi's mansion. Sakura refused to let go of Naruto's arm, holding on tight as if for dear life. He looked down at her, amused, and planted a kiss on her forehead. She sighed, wondering if she had just been imagining things or if Orochimaru really was on the boat. Whatever it'd been, she knew that Jiraiya and Anko would take care of it—now that the boat had stopped, and the ramp was being lowered, Jiraiya and Sai had moved forward and were standing at both sides of the exit, glaring ominously at all of the passengers who'd pressed towards the ramp.

If Orochimaru was on this boat, the ball would soon turn dangerous. But the chances of him being passed up were slim. With Jiraiya and Sai checking everyone out, and all the others watching for him, the snake would have a hard time keeping to himself. Besides, there was a reason for everything he did, meaning that he had a reason for being at the ball. So whatever that reason was, it definitely wasn't good. Sakura didn't know what he might have planned, but she knew everyone could and probably would be hurt by it.

"Naruto," she whispered as they walked off the boat amidst the crowds of guests, "I really, really hope I'm wrong."

Patting her arm, Naruto replied, "You and me both, sweetheart. You and me both."



Amongst the elegantly dressed guests of Uchiha Itachi was a man with long black hair and pale skin, slinking past the two thug guards at the end of the boat. He smirked at their stupidity even as he noticed the tall, older man glare suspiciously at him for a moment. Jiraiya, he knew, would let him pass, but keep an eye out for him the rest of the night. Yes, that was how Jiraiya worked. The old man never said anything—just watched, waited, and struck when his prey was at its weakest. But this man, this man with the black hair, was not going to let down his guard.

It was all a game to him, a sick game of Russian roulette, where he had total control throughout. He never lost—he always played his cards right, always won, never came out on the other end. And this time would be no different. Here, in the territory of his greatest enemy—or at least one of the two enemies he had—he would send the message he'd been aching to send. Uchiha Itachi did not know what was coming. There were people on this boat, on this island, that were not as loyal to Itachi as they were to the black haired man.

He strode with the mass of people down the lighted garden walk that led to the mansion looming ominously in front of them. Everyone was dressed in their best attire, women in their white or black dresses, men in formal suits. One man even wore a coat with tails on it. As the black haired man looked around at the people, he licked his lips in anticipation for what he had planned.

Yes, it was going to be a very, very interesting ball.



The big wooden doors with brass knockers swung open to let the guests in, revealing an elegant foyer with a large winding staircase, an antique desk, and a gorgeous chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Sakura took it all in with wide green eyes, having only seen the splendor of the mainland Uchiha manor once before. The elderly butler who had let them in led them all to a grand archway rimmed in gold carvings. They shuffled through, eyes round like saucers, amazed at the beauty of this previously unknown mansion.

Waiting for the guests in the brilliantly lit ballroom was Uchiha Itachi himself, dressed in a jet black jacket with tails, black pants, and black shoes. His cobalt hair hung down in its usual loose pony tail, but the thing that was the strangest was the fact that Itachi stepped forward with an almost-smile on his face. Sakura looked up startled at Naruto, who shrugged and glanced back at his boss, obviously confused. Sakura shook her head as she wondered what and how much Itachi had been drinking before this party started. She'd never seen him act so….happy before. Hell, she'd never imagined using the name "Itachi" in the same sentence as "happy" unless the words "is never" were between them.

"Welcome!" Itachi said in a loud, almost warm voice. Sakura stiffened and gripped onto Naruto's arm tighter. What had happened to the normally stoic, angry, aloof boss? "Thank you all for coming tonight! We have a band present to play wonderful music, and food in the dining hall one room over. I hope you all have a great time! So please, enjoy!"

And then Itachi proceeded to walk into the crowd and greet his guests while the band took their cue and began to play. Naruto merely nodded a greeting to Itachi, taking Sakura's hand and pulling her towards the dance floor. She allowed him to pull her close to him and start leading them in an elegant, careful ballroom step that she really couldn't name right now. Her head was literally spinning from worry, the fear of the damage that could be done if Orochimaru really were here. That, and the fear of Itachi apparently being either drunk or high on something or other.

The strains of music soon lulled her into a sense of security, and she found herself placing her feet quite elegantly in a pattern she hadn't realized she knew. Naruto smiled down at her and spun her in a quick circle. She laughed, not even slightly dizzy, and fell back into step with the music. Sakura held herself close to Naruto, breathing in his familiar scent, and suddenly wished that the dance would not end. The guilt that had plagued her earlier was now gone, evaporated into thin air. She really, really hoped it didn't come back.

All too soon, the band's playing faded and they started up another number. Sakura walked with her arm linked in Naruto's over towards the mingling groups of people. She saw that Tenten and Neji were surrounded by most of their friends, and pointed this out to Naruto, who was also curious. They strode quickly over to them.

"…so excited! I can't believe it!" Tenten was saying when Naruto and Sakura came up. "It's….just wow!"

"What's up, Tenten?" Sakura asked, and the radiant glow surrounding Tenten increased tenfold as she held out her left hand. On her third finger was a gorgeous ring, absolutely sparkling in the light of the chandelier. Sakura gasped. "Oh my goodness! Did he propose? Neji, did you propose! Oh my gosh!" She wrapped Tenten in a hug, and the two girls bounced on the balls of their feet.

"Congrats, Neji," Naruto chuckled, slapping his friend on the back. "You finally got up the balls to ask her to marry you. Oh, yeah," he added, and turned to Kisame, who was trying to look discreet. "Pay up, buddy." Naruto held his hand out expectantly, and Kisame dug around in his pocket with a grimace. He shoved the bills into Naruto's hand reluctantly and attempted at a congratulatory smile at Neji, failing miserably.

"You bet?" Neji muttered, looking shocked. Naruto grinned joyously and nodded.

"Yup. I won. Well, Jiraiya and I won, but hey, everyone else has got to pay up." Naruto chuckled and gave Tenten a quick kiss on the cheek. "Congratulations, Tenten. I'm really, really happy for you."

"Thanks, Naruto!" Tenten replied, and turned to give her fiancé a hug. Sakura smiled at the happy, newly engaged couple.

"That's so great that they're getting married," she said as they walked away from them. "I've been waiting for it to happen."

"We all have, hon." Naruto looked over to where his boss was standing and started tugging Sakura in that direction. She immediately balked.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," she called out, stopping in her tracks. Naruto nearly yanked her off her feet, but he stopped and steadied her before he could.

"What?"

"I don't think I want to meet your boss just yet," she said, trying to make excuses. Ok, yes, she was brave, but was she really brave enough to face Itachi, especially since he was in such a strange mood tonight? No, she didn't think so. "Can't we dance one more time?"  
"I dunno," Naruto mumbled, glancing over at Itachi. The Uchiha man had spotted them and was motioning for them to come over. He looked back at Sakura, who was still stubbornly staying in place, and sighed. "I guess…"

"May I have this dance?"

Sakura's head swiveled to the side to see who had spoken, and saw a tall, black-haired man in a black mask, holding his hand out in a welcoming way. She realized he was asking her to dance with him, and flushed unwillingly. How charming. Then she remembered that, hello, Naruto was her date, and he was still holding onto her arm.

"Umm…" She bit her lip and shot a look out of the corner of her eye to her boyfriend, and was surprised to see him relaxed and with an expression of relief on his playful features.

"Go ahead, I need to talk to Itachi anyway." He smiled warmly at her, and she nodded, happy to oblige. "Be good to her," he added in a dangerous voice to the man, who looked taken aback for a second before nodding his agreement.

"Always."

Sakura allowed the masked man to take her by the hand, and was immediately swept into his arms and onto the dance floor. The man placed one hand on her waist, and held hers in the other. She placed her free hand on his shoulder, and they began to dance a pattern she recognized as the waltz. So close to him, she could smell his cologne, a scent that tweaked at her memories and caused her to widen her eyes. She could feel warmth radiating from him, hear his quiet breathing even over the noise of the band. And still she sucked in the brilliant cologne, relishing the smell. Only one man wore that sort of cologne, at least that she knew of, and she found she wasn't upset to see him here.

Uchiha Sasuke smiled wanly down at her, his black eyes dancing slightly behind his mask. He moved effortlessly across the shimmering dance floor, in between the other dancing couples, always moving. Sakura couldn't help but smile back at him, knowing that her face was probably flushed but that she was too out of it to tell. He pulled her closer to him, so that their bodies were nearly pressing against each other. She gasped at the sudden movement, but never missed a beat, surprisingly.

"You're a very good dancer, sir," she said in a teasingly formal voice. Sasuke's smirk widened.

"As are you, ma'am." He gently twirled her, then brought her back to him. She eagerly entwined her fingers with his, feeling nothing other than bliss. For some reason, her heart sang every time she was near Sasuke, just as it had so many years ago. But this time, it seemed that Sasuke may hold the same feelings for her. The little fluttering in her chest might be shared by him. She certainly hoped so.

The song switched easily into a slow foxtrot, and Sasuke changed their dancing accordingly. As she bounced and twirled and stepped along with him, Sakura was suddenly struck with the thought that she was fraternizing with the enemy in his enemy's territory. Here she was, dancing the foxtrot with an absolutely gorgeous man who killed and worked in the mob for a living. He was Number two for Kami's sake! What kind of person was she? She was letting herself feel something for one of the most dangerous men out there! Damn, she was stupid.

And her worry must have shown on her face, for Sasuke asked in a low voice, "Are you okay, Sakura?"

She jerked back to reality and blinked. "Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Sorry, I spaced out for a second. Really, I'm sorry." She smiled, but knew it was fake and ill-fated, because Sasuke quickly stopped their dancing and took a step back.

"No, Sakura, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be doing this. Naruto's waiting for you," he added, and when she turned to look, he slipped away into the crowd. She glanced back, blinked in surprise, and shook her head before heading for Naruto. He was still speaking to Itachi, and the fact that she'd been dancing with Itachi's hated little brother only moments before made it all the harder to approach him. But she did it anyway.

Naruto looked down in surprise, grinned, and kissed her on the top of her head. "Hey, Sakura. Have a nice dance?" She nodded as she tried to inconspicuously keep her gaze off of Itachi. "Well, that's good. By the way, Itachi, do you know that guy?"

Itachi's black, slightly less bored than usual eyes slowly raked over the crowd and rested on the man standing with his hands in his pockets, looking up at the chandelier. Then, just as sluggishly, his gaze came back to the blonde in front of him. He shrugged nonchalantly. "He seems vaguely familiar. Probably someone from a long time ago come to pay a visit." Sakura noticed that while speaking, Itachi's eyes darted almost imperceptibly fast over to where Sasuke was.

"Ah, well. Hey, you finally get to meet Sakura!" Naruto exclaimed, new excitement coming over his face. Sakura hid a grimace and smiled politely instead. "Sakura, this is Itachi. Itachi, this is my wonderful Sakura!"

That penetrating almost-glare rested on Sakura, and she fought back the urge to squirm under it. The way he looked at her, like she were some item to be bought or, more fittingly, taken out, made her very, very uneasy. Still, she met his gaze somewhat shakily, but she didn't waver and she didn't look away. It was almost a relief when he nodded in a painstakingly slow manner.

"Ah," he murmured, reaching out his hand for hers. She reluctantly placed it in his, and he brushed his lips against it. They were cold, not warm, like she would have imagined. Ice cold, in fact. "It's nice to finally meet the person I've been spending so much time and effort protecting."

She winced inwardly, catching the snide meaning in his words. He thought of her as baggage, as a nuisance that he shouldn't be worrying over in the first place. Of course, how else would he see her? She was the girlfriend of his overprotective, worrywart, most skilled employee, who required constant attention and protection. Whatever she did was monitored, she was constantly around people with some sort of connection to the Bouryokudan, and it didn't really help that she was so clumsy. As if to remind her of her inane ability to trip over invisible objects, her ankle chose that moment to throb mildly.

Just then, the music changed to a sweet, slow song, and Sakura looked pleadingly up at Naruto. She didn't really care that Itachi probably saw her urgency to get away from him—he'd seen the reaction before, most likely. All she wanted was to dance with her boyfriend (not a certain black-haired man who made her heart jerk oddly) and have a good time. Naruto, noticing the upset look on her face, quickly excused them. He led them onto the dance floor and put his arms around her as they swayed to the music.

"You alright?" he asked, resting his head on top of hers. She sighed.

"Yeah, I think so. I just don't like him." She glanced up at him and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "He really freaks me out."

Naruto shrugged. "Ah, well, that's Itachi for you. At least you haven't seen anyone else around that'd upset you, right?" Immediately she knew who he was talking about, and scoffed lightly.

"Yes, thank goodness. I don't know what I'd do if he showed up in my face or something," she chuckled, but the seriousness was still audible in her voice.



A few rooms over from the ballroom, in the kitchen, one of the hired waiters was fixing a plate to carry around with him, asking kindly if the guest or guests would like a tiny little finger sandwich or another appetizer. He had cocoa colored hair combed neatly back, and his ear piercing had been taken out for the occasion. He hadn't wanted to, but his boss had forced him.

There wasn't anyone in the kitchen—they were all out already, walking around and serving the dozens of well-dressed people. But this particular waiter wasn't too keen on heading back out there. It was all too busy for him, and the people were way too snotty and stuck-up. The way they held their chins as high as they could made him sick. So he was content to quietly arrange appetizers on huge trays, preparing them for the others to take out.

It was honestly all too quiet, thought, so he dug around in his pocket and took out his iPod. Once the headphones were in he turned the volume up about halfway, bobbing his head along to the song as he settled some funny looking mushroom-egg things beside little cherry patties. He didn't hear the approaching near-silent footsteps over the pounding of his music.

The next thing he knew, a cord was around his throat and someone was yanking back on it, hard. His hands immediately went to the cord, his fingers tried to wrap around it, and his iPod jerked off the table to scrape against his knee. His headphones were still in, music still pouring out of them. Then, he saw the tray and realized what he could do. He grabbed it, and bashed it over his head. The sound of metal hitting bone was quite satisfying.

The cord was dropped, and the waiter snatched it up. He turned around to face his attacker, and was shocked at the man's face. The man took the opportunity and stood up, rubbing his head where the tray had connected. A sadistic expression came over his features as he grabbed a knife off the nearby counter.

Stricken, the waiter backed himself into a corner, banging against the edge of the counter holding trays already finished. His hand sunk into a pastry, but he didn't notice. The strange attacker was in front of him, was licking the blade of the knife with a frighteningly pleased look in his eyes. The waiter stood in shocked silence, wrapped in his world of music, as the attacker stabbed him in the chest.

The waiter gasped for breath, convulsing and falling to the floor, where he laid still, the song switching on his iPod.



Jiraiya didn't feel right. Something in this house wasn't right, was strange and out of place. But he wasn't going to mention it to anyone, especially not Itachi. So instead of focusing on the annoying feeling in his stomach, he watched Sakura and Naruto dance together. It made him smile to see them so happy.

They were good together, he figured, very good together. Sakura and Naruto. Naruto and Sakura. It sounded great all the way around, backwards and forwards. He'd seen it since their childhood. Yes, he'd been around then, too. Kakashi wasn't the only one who had worked with the dream team of three. And that was what they were—the dream team. Of course, he couldn't really call them a dream _team _anymore, because none of them worked together. So he settled with the dream _three. _

Watching Naruto, Jiraiya once again marveled at how much the young man resembled his father. They both had the same spiky, uncontrollable blonde hair, the same blue eyes, and the same build. The only thing different was their attitudes—Naruto was more like his mother, exuberant and impulsive. His father had been stoic and strong, the silent but deadly kind.

It was ironic, Jiraiya thought, scratching his elbow. Minato had been one of the smartest and most skilled men in all of Konohagakure, with loads of experience on the streets, how things worked there. Itachi's father had offered a top job to Minato before, but the man had turned him down without missing a beat. Jiraiya knew that Minato had thought it over before being asked, and decided it would be too dangerous for Kushina and their future family to be part of the mob.

And now here Naruto was working for the son of very man his father turned down, taking up the same position that had been offered.

Yes, it was very ironic indeed.

Jiraiya's gaze slid over to Itachi, who was schmoozing as much as Itachi could schmooze. There was the slightest hint of a smile—Jiraiya was only able to tell it existed because he knew Itachi so damn well. They'd worked together for years and years; Jiraiya had known Itachi since birth, as well as his little brother. Speaking of which….

The old man scanned the room, looking for the dark-haired individual that Sakura had been dancing with earlier. He was stuck with the image of her eyes sparkling as they'd danced together, the way she looked, happier than he'd ever seen her. But then something had flashed over her features and the dance soon ended. It made him wonder just exactly what was going on with her. Oh, well. He was still trying to figure out how you could send emails anonymously.

"Jiraiya," a quiet, monotonous voice said from behind him, and Jiraiya turned around to see a bored-face Kakashi (still with his eye patch on, as always) holding a drink in each hand. Kakashi offered one to him, and he gladly took it and sipped from it. "How have you been?"

It had been a long, long, long time since their last conversation. Maybe, what, three years? Since then, the two men only spoke on business basis, whenever their jobs collided with one another. And even during those times it was nothing less that professional. Jiraiya remembered the days before Kakashi became so involved in ANBU, before the gray-haired man began working so hard to get rid of any Uchiha on the opposite side. Yes, those were the wonderful times, when the dream three had been the dream team, along with their amazing team leader, Hatake Kakashi. What nice days.

"Ah, I'm pretty good, how about yourself?" Jiraiya replied, taking another sip of the golden champagne. Hmm, it was pretty good. Itachi sure knew how to throw a party.

Kakashi, his one half-closed eye glancing over at Itachi for a split second, said, "I believe I'm okay. Work's getting a little hectic, though. I swear it takes ten years to get anything done, and with that missing kid my plate's full."

"I know how you feel," Jiraiya murmured, his mind turning over all the things he'd heard so far about the missing boy. Poor thing, being kidnapped by such a dangerous, heartless man. Of course, Sasuke hadn't used to be that way, but now, with the assistance of Orochimaru, the Uchiha was a killing machine. A cold hearted, ruthless killing machine that was not afraid to knock out anything or anyone in its way. Whatever the reason for kidnapping the boy, Jiraiya wouldn't have traded places with the kid for anything. Not since Sasuke had turned to the enemy.

Kakashi slowly nodded. "Yes, I'm sure you do. So, nice party, huh?"

Jiraiya opened his mouth to answer, when there was a loud clap of thunder, the flash of lightning from the front room, and then the lights went out. The hundred or so guests were plunged into darkness, screams and exclamations of surprise and fright coursed through the room, a collective gasp going up the moment after the huge chandelier sputtered out. Jiraiya looked about him, startled. He'd known a storm was coming, but enough to put the power in this entire mansion out? He was unnerved by the very idea of it.

On his left, Kakashi had stiffened with shock and was now turning his head until his eye adjusted to the light. Jiraiya did the same, soon becoming used to the darkness that had so suddenly been thrust upon them. The both saw it at the same time, the pale, disturbing face that disappeared just as quickly once another flash of lighting came through the opening in the doors leading to the front foyer.

The two men slowly looked at each other, both amazed and curious if their eyes were playing tricks on them. But the petrified expression on the others face made true what they'd feared: they had seen him, and that meant he was there, in Itachi's mansion, waiting to strike.

"Itachi!" Jiraiya bellowed, barely able to be heard over the buzzing of the disturbed crowd. He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, louder, "Itachi!"

This time, he was able to make out a head whipping around, the trademark black ponytail swinging behind it. Itachi's dark eyes met Jiraiya's in the darkness, and a silent message passed between them. There was something wrong tonight. Jiraiya looked around him until he spotted a small, antique couch perched in the corner for guests to sit on when they weren't dancing or mingling. He made a beeline for it, excused himself to the two women sitting there, and stepped up.

Finally able to see above the crowd, he cleared his throat and said as loudly as he could without having to scream, "If I could have your attention please! Look over here! Hey! HEY!" The guests simultaneously looked at him, their expressions wondering why there was some gray-haired guy up on the couch yelling at them.

"Thank you," Jiraiya said boomingly. "Now, the storm outside seems to have gotten worse, and our power has been cut, but no need to worry. I'll be making some calls and soon enough everything will be back up and running. So continue with the part, we'll have this fixed in no time."

He stepped lightly off the couch and strode over to where his boss had moved, into a remote corner with just Sai standing with him. Itachi was looking rather upset, and Jiraiya knew that was never good. Itachi angry could create catastrophes. So he tried to look as casual as he could as he walked up to him, but it was a failed effort and he knew it.

"We have a problem," Itachi hissed under his breath. He looked murderous. "Someone has cut the wires on the engine of my ship, immobilizing it.. I wonder who would do such a thing."

Naruto walked up to hear the last bit about the boat, and looked stricken. He understood the situation—they were trapped. And with the storm's increasing ferocity, there was little chance anyone would be getting off this island anytime soon. Jiraiya put a hand on Naruto's shoulder to calm him down (he could tell the blonde was getting worked up) and nodded.

"So do you want me to tell the others that we aren't going to be able to leave until the storm calms down?" Jiraiya asked, watching his boss carefully for any signs of an explosion. Of course, Itachi's fits were always subtle, but they were always dangerous, too. When Itachi nodded, Jiraiya went back over to his couch post and allowed Naruto to whistle for attention.

"Okay, everyone, I'm sorry to say this, but the storm has gotten a lot worse. We're not going to be able to leave the island until it calms down probably sometime in the morning. But no need to worry—there are more than enough rooms to accommodate everyone comfortably. We will be providing food and clean changes of clothes for everyone later tonight. Thank you."

Once that little spiel was over, Jiraiya went back to where Itachi, Sai, Naruto, and Neji were conversing. He quickly grabbed the gist of the conversation and joined in the figuring. The whole time, though, his mind kept wandering to what he and Kakashi had seen in the shadows, illuminated suddenly by the moonlight streaming in. His stomach turned over once at the thought, the reconstruction of that man's face. If he was here, then everyone was in danger, grave danger.

* * *

**There you have it. :D I hope you enjoyed it! And please, people, review. I really really really love it when I get good reviews, especially the longer ones, lol. So review ASAP, whenever you get to reading this. **

**REVIEW!**

**Luv you all SOOOO VERY VERY VERY MUCH!!!**

**Nicola 3**


	9. Chapter 9

**OKay, so I know it's been, like forever but I ended up getting stuck and all that grand stuff...so ya know how that is right lol. But anyway, here's chapter nine, I'm SOO glad I finished it. It's really good, more drama, and the next chapter or two are gonna be really sad and I hope you all cry because that means the story is good...hahaha at least in my book."  
Disclaimer: Ya know the drill**

**Luv much!  
Nicola**

* * *

Sakura held onto the back of the chair she was standing by, trying not to look around the room in search of Naruto. It wasn't like she could see anything, anyway. It was pitch black now that the lights had gone out. So not only was she void of any sight, but she was afraid that if she tried to move she might trip over something and slam face-first into another person or the ground.

Naruto had left her the moment the lights went out to go find Itachi and figure out what was going on. He'd given her strict instructions not to talk to anyone that she didn't know, not to walk around. It wasn't like she would tell him, either, but she was petrified of being alone in the dark, and it didn't help that she'd seen (or thought she'd seen) Orochimaru earlier. She was starting to get that nervous, lumpy feeling in the pit of her stomach again, and she squirmed uncomfortably.

The band was playing a quiet but lively tune, probably trying to lift everyone's spirits and get them all dancing again. Sakura tried to focus on the music, tried to calm down, but it wasn't working. And by the constant nervous buzz going around the room no one else was calming down, either. Vaguely she found herself wondering where Sasuke was and if he knew anything about this, but she didn't want to imagine him being a part of this. Kami only knew what could happen at night, in the dark, during a massive thunderstorm.

Another clap of thunder shook the house, and she flinched, squeaking in fright. She didn't like thunderstorms, either, unless someone was holding her and she could snuggle up against them. She enjoyed storms when Naruto was home; when he was, she'd curl up on his chest and listen to the rumbling around them. She really, really wanted him over with her now instead of talking to Itachi. Dumb, stupid Itachi. He always took Naruto away from her.

Suddenly, someone's hand rested on her shoulder, and she opened her mouth to scream. But a comforting, familiar voice told her, "Shh, it's just me. Calm down." She didn't relax, but she didn't scream. The person's hand went down to her elbow and she looked up to see if she could make out their face. Squinting, she was just able to see the outline of a dark mask and spiky, unruly black hair. This time, she let herself relax. It was okay, he wasn't going to hurt her. At least, she hoped not.

"Are you okay?" Sasuke whispered, although he wouldn't have been heard if he yelled in the loud room. Everyone was talking at once. She let out a breath, just happy that he was there with her and he wasn't Orochimaru or someone else. Of course, he was the next worse thing behind his boss. But it wouldn't be good to think about that now.

"No," she hissed back, feeling slightly irritated. She was clutching a chair, acting jumpy as a rabbit, and failing miserably at not looking around the room for Naruto. Did she look okay?! "Naruto left me here by myself, and I can't see, and I don't know where he's at, and I hate thunderstorms!"

Sasuke chuckled, and she wished she could see his stomach because she would have hit him. "You're just fine. There are over a hundred people here—no one's going to hurt you with everyone around to see it. It's okay, Sakura."

Something inside her twitched when he said her name, and it wasn't a bad twitch. It felt nice, like a swelling, squeezing sensation in her chest. She smiled, glad that she was no longer by herself. "Thanks." She saw him nod, then look behind him. And then, he wasn't there anymore, leaving her startled and again frightened.

This time, she let out a little scream when someone grabbed onto her arm, but in a moment she recognized the feel of the hand and lunged toward them. Naruto hugged her back, kissing her on the top of her head.

"Sorry, Sakura. There's a bit of a problem," he murmured, holding her tight to his chest.

"What, you mean other than that we can't leave the house because of the storm?" she asked, but not bitterly. She was merely curious, and scared, but she wasn't going to tell him that.

"Yeah," Naruto said quietly, leading her to a quiet little corner. She really didn't notice that they'd moved—she'd followed him subconsciously. "Someone cut the wires on the yacht's engine, so we're stuck until another boat can get to us. Normally, we wouldn't be so upset about this, but since the power's out and he might be here, we have to take precautions."  
"What kinds of precautions?" she asked suspiciously, already feeling guilty. What if Orochimaru wasn't on the island and they were all trapped here scared for nothing? But then again, she was absolutely positive she'd seen him. There wasn't a doubt in her mind he was here in the mansion with them.

"Well, no one is allowed to leave this room by themselves, and even then only with one of us." By "us" Naruto meant one of Itachi's men, one of his guards and enforcers. Sakura could just see Sai trying to walk a dainty little girl like Hinata to the bathroom or something. The picture was somewhat funny, but also a little scary. They were resorting to something like restricting everyone to one room, and that had to mean there really was a problem.

"Oh," she whispered, and once again thought back to Sasuke. What if it really did turn into some sort of massacre? Would Sasuke be helping? She shuddered at the idea. It was just too close to home. Then again, she'd committed to a dangerous life the moment she'd agreed to go out with Naruto. Her fault, not his.

"Look, I'm going to leave you with Itachi, okay?" Naruto said, and she bristled, not wanting to go anywhere near the strange, frightening man. Her nerves were already jittery enough. She did not need Itachi to set her into frenzy or something.

"Um….I think I'll be okay by myself," she said as cheerfully as she could, trying and probably failing to look calm and alright. There was nothing in the world that would make her stay with Uchiha Itachi; it was a stretch just to be in the same room. She tried to keep her face collected as Naruto studied her worriedly, and when he sighed and nodded, she grinned for real. "Thank you! I'll be just fine, I promise." She gave him a hug, a kiss, and held onto him for a long moment.

Then Naruto was pulling away, muttering that he had to get to work, and walking across the room back towards Itachi and his men. Sakura watched him go, feeling anxiety creeping up on here again, and gnawed nervously on her lip. Great. Now she was alone again. Just when everything seemed to be getting better, she was left in the dark again. And not just figuratively speaking—she was literally left in the dark, in the pitch blackness that was now the ballroom.

As her eyes began to adjust to the lighting (it always took her a while), she was able to make out the outlines of her friends also milling about nervously, and still talking about what was going on. She wanted to move closer to them, but she couldn't work up the courage to move at all. What if she fell or something, or knocked over some valuable piece of art? What would Itachi do to her then? The thought of the dozens of things Itachi was capable of made her shiver, so she quickly pushed them aside.

Suddenly, she felt a presence by her side and stiffened. Was it Orochimaru? Had he somehow slipped into the ballroom and found her and decided now would be the best and most entertaining moment to kill her? But when she looked aside, all fear vanished, for the person standing next to her was wearing a very familiar black mask and had spiky, wild black hair. She sighed, relaxing. _Sasuke._

"Sakura," he whispered as he glanced about the room. She could see him completely now, even in the dark. "Come with me. I can't leave you alone. It's too dangerous."

Startled, Sakura only stared up at him and wondered why he would want to keep her with him. It wasn't as if he cared or something. This was Sasuke they were talking about—the ultimate loner, next to his brother. He had never shown any compassion for another person outside of a smirk or a knowing nod in his whole life, or at least for as long as Sakura had know him. Maybe he was just trying to be nice, to make up a tiny bit for what he'd done to her and Naruto and the city.

Stubbornness set it, and Sakura crossed her arms over her chest. "No. I'll be just fine right here, thank you very much." She met his gaze head on with a firm, pig headed one of her own. Sasuke sighed irritably and rolled his eyes at her behavior. She knew she was acting childish, but she wasn't going to go anywhere with him unless it was definitely a life or death situation.

That's when they heard the scream, and saw one of the women from the party rush back in with a stricken, pale face. Her date immediately rushed over, started questioning her and holding her up. Other guests gathered around them, and Sakura could make out Naruto pushing his way through to get to the woman. She lost sight of him in the midst of the people, but she inched closer with Sasuke at her side (annoyingly so) until she was within hearing range.

"…you see?" Naruto was asking gently of the frightened woman. She was panting, Sakura could tell. The woman's breaths were coming out in raspy gasps.

"There…was…a man…in the kitchen…he's…dead!"

Another collective gasp went through the room, and Sakura swooned on her feet. The gruesome details that the woman was giving Naruto she blocked out, trying to keep from thinking very much about it. Someone had been killed, someone had been killed in this very house tonight. Sasuke was right—it was dangerous. He knew something. But exactly what she couldn't figure out right now.

A wave of nausea swept over her, causing her to sway and fall to the side. Thankfully, Sasuke caught her before she could hit the floor, holding her up until her head stopped spinning and her stomach stopped churning. The moment she felt okay enough to stand on her own, she did so and looked sheepishly at Sasuke.

"Okay, I'll go with you," she muttered, and Sasuke smirked, holding out his hand. She took it, if only for the sole reason of feeling safe, and followed him as he walked out of the room. A chill went up her spine as they walked through the threshold, but she suppressed the urge to run and followed along placidly by Sasuke.

He led her up the stairs in the front foyer, down a long hallway, and into another room, where he finally stopped. She couldn't figure out where they were, but then again, she had never been in this house before. It was all new to her. Sasuke had probably been to this mansion dozens of times as a child. He at least knew where he was going.

"Where are we?" she whispered, feeling the need to talk quietly in such an untouched place. Sasuke had dropped her hand and was now digging around in a drawer, looking for something. He resurfaced with a lighter, two candles, and a flashlight that he handed to her. She clicked it on immediately and felt relief in the presence of some light. She scoped the room with the flashlight, awed by the elegant furniture. They were in some sort of huge study with a large mahogany desk, two couches, a matching chair, and several tall, filled bookcases.

"Wow," she murmured as she crept towards a shelf and blew dust off of the book spines. There were atlases, classic novels, dictionaries, encyclopedias, everything. There was even a thick book labeled "Uchiha Family History and Bloodline" that looked rather appealing. Sakura resisted the urge to touch any of the books, though, because she could feel Sasuke watching her. She turned to find him a lot closer than she would have thought.

"Find anything you like?" he asked in hushed tones. She shook her head, frozen with some sort of emotion between fear and embarrassment. He moved up next to her and ran his hand over a row of books. "When I was younger, Father used to tell me to pick a book and read it while he was working. Usually I'd have to get a chair to get to my favorite one." He tapped the spine of the Uchiha history book and Sakura could just make out a smirk on his face. "The dumb bastard loved it when I read about our family. Cheh."

Sakura blinked. "Did you really hate your father that much?" She moved closer to him, trying to read his face. But it was perfectly blank as he answered her.

"I didn't use to." He looked down at her with those smoldering eyes of his and grabbed her hand. "Come on. We'll need to get these downstairs." He led her out of the room and down the hallway again.

"Wait, won't Itachi know it was you who knew where everything was?" Sakura wanted to know, worried that there might be even more bloodshed that necessary tonight. "I mean, I couldn't possibly have known. I've never been here, and besides, Itachi doesn't like me in the first place. He'd love an excuse to get rid of such a distraction to Naruto."

Sasuke halted. "My brother doesn't hate you." It was a simple statement, but it didn't make her feel any better.

"Sure he does," she insisted. "Can't you tell that by just looking at how he glares at me? I mean, he definitely told me what a waste of time I was earlier."

This time, she could perfectly see Sasuke rolling his eyes. "My brother glares at everyone, okay? And he thinks anyone who doesn't work for him is a waste of space. So don't even think he hates you. It wouldn't make you any more special than the rest of us."

She turned that over in her mind for a moment. It that was true, then why was Itachi throwing a ball for all the people he supposedly hated and thought of a waste of space? She thought about voicing her question to Sasuke, but they were outside of the ballroom and he was opening the door.

Sai was standing in front of the doorway when they walked in, his bored glare making Sakura uneasy. She couldn't stand that man! He was just an irritating jerk who didn't like anyone but himself. Humph.

"And where were you at, Miss Sakura?" Sai asked with fake, bitter courtesy. Sakura felt Sasuke stiffen beside her and quickly gave his hand a squeeze. Sai noticed this exchange and turned his penetrating stare to Sasuke. "And who are you?" Sakura swallowed and held out the flashlight.

"We, uh, we went to find candles and stuff. Got some," she added in a too cheery voice. Sai looked suspiciously down on her before taking the flashlight and candles from them and walking away. He looked like he was headed straight for Itachi, but instead he turned quickly and went towards Naruto. Sakura saw his lips moving rapidly as he told her boyfriend what had just happened. Naruto glanced over at them and frowned when she waved. Great, now he was suspicious, too.

Naruto made a beeline for them, pushing through the crowd. Sakura glanced up at Sasuke, who smirked and stepped away from her before disappearing like he so tended to do. She blinked, and barely recovered before Naruto appeared in front of her with that frown still on his face.

"Hey, Sakura. Where were you?" he wanted to know. She smiled kindly at him, trying to seem innocent while her stomach was churning nervously.

"Just…looking around for some candles. We found some. Um, but I didn't go alone," she added at the stricken look on Naruto's face. "I got the guy who danced with me earlier? He came with me. So don't worry, I wasn't going to just walk into danger or anything."

Naruto still didn't look convinced, but he pulled her into a tight hug and kissed her cheek. "Okay, just as long as you stay safe. Don't scare me like that again, though. And don't go anywhere by yourself. Stay in here."

She nodded. "But, um, Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you know who killed that guy earlier?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, but Naruto heard her and pulled her close again.

"Oh, hon, it's okay. You don't need to worry about that, alright? We're going to take care of it." The sincerity in Naruto's voice was obvious, but Sakura couldn't just accept that as a good enough answer. She wasn't going to sit around while they tried to fix everything. What were the chances of them finding out who had killed that waiter when there was no sign of anyone having been there other than the knife in the man's chest and the knocked over trays of food? She had no other choice that she would consider except to try and figure out what was going on by herself. Well, not necessarily by herself—she was definitely going to ask Sasuke for some help, if she ever found him.

"Okay," she agreed, her fingers crossed behind her back. Naruto kissed her again and backed away. She waved him off before turning around to search for Sasuke again. If anyone could help her stay safe and still find out what the hell was going on around here, it was Sasuke.

She caught sight of Tenten and Neji walking towards her, and smiled at them. They grinned back and quickly came over to her. She gave Tenten a quick hug. The two of them had looked so happy earlier, and now Tenten's face was stricken and pale. Neji's was tight, angry, worried. He knew the seriousness of what was going on, as did his fiancé. Sakura couldn't find the words to comfort them—she couldn't find the words to comfort herself, for goodness sake.

"How are you guys holding up?" she asked, pulling back from Tenten. She hugged Neji briefly, too.

Tenten shrugged. "I guess we're okay. I mean, we've dealt with worse things before, right?" She tried to smile bravely, and almost made it convincing, too. Sakura smiled back, just trying to make herself feel better. Neji put his arm around Tenten, squeezed her shoulders. Sakura resisted a shiver—now she wanted Naruto back. Ugh.

"Um, excuse me, ma'am?"

Sakura turned around and saw Sasuke standing there, looking nervous. She told herself it was mostly for the benefit of Neji and Tenten. They didn't know who he really was. Sakura looked up at him. "Yes?"

"Can I speak to you for a moment, please?" Sasuke asked, and when she nodded, she quickly whispered to Neji and Tenten that she would see them later and walked off with Sasuke. Once they were alone, and the little flutters in Sakura's chest had settled down, he grabbed onto her wrist and pulled her close.

She blinked. What was up with him? Had someone else been killed? "What's the matter, Sasuke? What happened?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Did Naruto suspect anything, not about us, but about what's going on?"

Once again, Sakura blinked. "Um. No, I don't think so. He just said that they were going to take care of it…."

Sasuke cursed under his breath. "Wonderful. Like they can take care of anything. I think I know what's going on here, and it's not something that Itachi's men can handle. Only Itachi can take on this bastard, and I say that as someone who knows him pretty well."

With a gasp, the gears in Sakura's mind began to crank and move, and she started to understand what Sasuke was saying. His boss was here, or someone who worked for him, and this person was out of the skill of Naruto and everyone else. Only Itachi could figure out how his mind worked, but how could he when he was surrounded by guards all the time? Sakura stared up in Sasuke's face, trying to figure out what he was thinking behind that black mask. She had no luck with it, and settled for studying his expression. It was stoic, as always, but there was a little trace of worry in his brow. She found that the sight of it made her heart swell, as if he were worrying for her and not about his boss getting killed by Itachi.

"So what do we do?" she asked in a whisper, staring down at Sasuke's hand around her wrist. He let go of her and sighed.

"I don't know." He took a step backwards, obviously thinking, then stepped forward again quickly and placed a hand on her shoulder. "We're going to find him. I can't leave you alone in here—no one in this room can do anything if he gets in and goes on a rampage. So you're coming with me."

Not so reluctantly Sakura nodded. "Okay, Sasuke. I'm coming with you."



Naruto looked around the room to see if he could spot Sakura, scanning all the frightened and nervous guests. His gaze landed on Tenten and Neji, conversing quietly together, and moved on to two people in an unoccupied corner. Squinting, Naruto could make out the shape of the tall man, and the face of his pink-haired Sakura. He bristled and clenched his fists. What was Sakura doing with that man again? Wasn't one dance enough for him? He ground his teeth together angrily, thinking of all the possible ways to kill the man using just his thumb. No, just his thumbnail. That would make it all the more painful.

He hated to see Sakura anywhere near another person of the male gender, though he sucked it up and dealt with it most of the time. Now, though, she was starting to push the boundaries. Hanging around another guy from work, or from the hospital was okay, but getting so close with some man she'd just met not two hours ago was really making him upset. It wasn't like that man had doted on her since childhood or given her everything even if she hadn't asked for it. Naruto growled.

Just the thought of Sakura near that guy made his blood boil.

"Naruto."

The calm, collected, and authoritative voice of his boss made Naruto cool down for a split second and turn around. Itachi stood in front of him, looking ominous as always, and the mob boss glared at his employee.

"You need to focus. Now."

Naruto nodded, trying hard to listen to what Itachi was saying. It was difficult, though, because he could feel the presence of Sakura and that man burning into his back. "I'm trying, boss. Everything's going wrong tonight, and I don't want anyone to get hurt, especially you. I've told Sai to get Neji and Sasori to keep guard on you tonight."

Itachi sneered angrily and curled his upper lip. "I don't need protection; you lot should know this. Just get that bastard out of my house." He said the last sentence through his teeth, and Naruto could see the anger bubbling up in his boss. Yes, he knew that Itachi could take care of himself, but he did not want to take any precautions here. If something happened to Itachi, the whole organization would fall and Orochimaru would be able to hold a massive takeover on Konohagakure and its neighboring allies, like Sunagakure.

"Yes, sir." Naruto stared hard at his furious boss, knowing full well that he wasn't going to call of the guards. Itachi would just have to order them away on his own.

"I want to know how he got in," Itachi began, his eyes flashing red. "I want to know what he's doing here, what he wants, and I want to see the look on his face when you bring him to me to be killed. Got it?"

Naruto nodded, not wanting to push his boss even further over the edge. There had to be a reason for this anger outburst, and it certainly wasn't because what was supposed to be a "wonderful night" was ruined. Hell, Naruto didn't even know Itachi's motive for holding the damn ball. Sometimes he wanted to know what Itachi was thinking, and then other times he wouldn't want to know if his life depended upon it. Right now was one of the latter moments.

"By the way," Itachi snapped as he turned away, his back to Naruto. "Keep an eye on the man flirting with your girlfriend."



Sakura followed Sasuke out of the ballroom and into a long, dark hallway. She still held the flashlight in her hands, and went to turn it on but Sasuke took it from her and pocketed it. Whatever the reasons for this were, she had no choice but to go along with it. It wasn't as if she could find her way back to the ballroom by herself anyway. She kept obediently by his side like a well-trained dog, as irritating and degrading as that sounded. There wasn't much else she could do, though. Whatever Sasuke was leading her into, she could only trust him to keep her safe.

She couldn't even see the expression on his face to judge what was going on. He had finally pulled the mask off, and it was now resting on top of his black hair. He probably didn't even care anymore if anyone saw him. He was beyond caring right now. She figured that since his boss was running around in the huge house killing anyone in his way, or even just for fun, he had more things to worry about than her. And yet here he was, glancing occasionally back over his shoulder to make sure she was still there.

The realization of this made her heart swell. Maybe he did care? She didn't know, but it made her all the more happy to follow him around. And even the nagging little voice that spoke of danger and betrayal could not damper her spirits at the moment. She merely pushed the disembodied voice to the back of her mind, put some duck tape over its mouth, and shoved it into a closet. Now she wouldn't have to deal with it until later, when she finally went home with Naruto. If they all lived through the night, that is.

"Um, Sasuke?" she whispered after several more long minutes of silence. Sasuke nodded at her to tell her to go on. She swallowed. "Um, where are we going? I mean, if you don't want to tell me, its fine. I was just…um….curious…"

The look on his face had stopped her; it was the bored, slightly annoyed look that she knew so well. She swallowed again and looked down at the ground, clasping her hands together behind her back.

"Sorry," she whispered, and was surprised to hear him chuckle darkly.

"Don't be sorry," he said in normal tones, and she glanced up again to see a hint of amusement behind his dark eyes. "We're going to the old library, in case you were just…curious."

Sakura flushed burgundy and followed obediently again when Sasuke started walking down the hall. He stopped in front of a set of huge mahogany double doors with large gargoyle faces above the sculpted gold handles. Sakura gulped—the faces were a little intimidating, especially in the current situation and location.

Without a moment's hesitation, Sasuke pushed one of the doors open and stepped inside another dark, creepy room. Sakura could make out shelves and shelves of books as she stood cautiously behind the black-haired Uchiha. Sasuke took the flashlight out of his pocket, strode up to one of the shelves, and clicked it on. A bright circle of light illuminated the shelf and the books lined on it.

Sakura was insanely tempted to ask why they were here, but she couldn't find her voice quite yet. She was torn between fear and joy—fear of Orochimaru and the imminent threat of death—and joy at being with Sasuke. Of course, both of these feelings were unprecedented. She shouldn't be happy being with a violent mobster who had kidnapped a child, and she shouldn't be afraid after the violent mobster had promised to keep her safe at the cost of his own life if necessary.

A cloud of dust came off the book Sasuke pulled down from shelf. Sakura blinked and squinted at the cover, but there was no title on the old red cardboard. With a sigh, Sasuke brushed past her to sit down on one of the several couches in the apparently huge room. He opened the book and blew dust off of it, ignoring Sakura when she sat beside him.

"Where is that damn passage…" he murmured under his breath, flipping through the pages until he came across a thick piece of paper folded up into a square. Sakura tried not to look like she was trying too hard to see, because she didn't want to push him any farther, but she couldn't help herself. She craned her neck to get a good look at the paper as Sasuke unfolded it and she realized it was a map. A closer look showed that it was a map of the house, and what looked like passages all through it.

Realization set in, and she gasped. Orochimaru wasn't going to be found that easy. Her finger reached out and touched a path leading from the dock to the kitchens. That must be how he'd gotten in, and how he'd found the poor waiter. She winced and stole a glance at Sasuke. He was watching her carefully, and there was quiet understanding in his eyes.

"He can be anywhere," Sasuke said softly. "But I know where most of the passages are. He'd have to have this map to find anything other than the ones I've told him about." At her horrific look, he nodded somberly. Then again, everything Sasuke did was somber.

"You…you let him in?" Her voice was shocked, strained, and on the verge of hysterics. She couldn't' believe this! Sasuke had told Orochimaru the way to get in, to ruin everyone's lives. And she was walking around in a dark and confusing house?! She was crazy! She leapt up from the couch and headed for the door, feeling along the shelves and walls with her hands so she wouldn't fall.

She did not want to be anywhere near Uchiha Sasuke!

"Sakura, wait!" Sasuke hissed, following after her and catching her round the waist with ease. She struggled, not wanting him to touch her. He released her after a moment, and she stood glaring at him, straightening her dress. What a jerk.

"You put this all on us," she snarled, clenching her fists. "It's your fault that psycho maniac is in here. Don't come anywhere near me." And she stalked out, leaving a dumbfounded and amused Sasuke in her wake.



Neji and Tenten stood a few feet away from Itachi, keeping guard on the man and making sure the guests weren't panicking. The din had barely lowered since the discovery of the young server's body, and everyone was on edge. No one had thrown a fit, yet, so that was good.

Hinata was huddled in a corner with her back to the wall, her pale eyes darting nervously everywhere, and Neji sighed. His poor cousin. She was a flighty creature by nature and the current situation didn't help. He scanned the room for the umpteenth time and spotted something strange.

"Hey, Tenten," he murmured, and she glanced over at him.

"Hmm?"

"Have you noticed that a certain medical ninja is missing?"

Tenten blinked and looked around, and her eyebrows went upwards. "Wow. Where did she get off to?"

"I dunno," Neji said, scowling, "but that character she was dancing with earlier isn't here, either. I wonder…" Tenten recognized his tone of voice and studied his face with disbelief.

"You honestly can't believe that that guy's the killer, can you? I mean, Orochimaru's good at disguises, but not that good. None of the makeup in the world would make him appear that naturally tan-skinned." She looked quite pleased with herself for noticing this and crossed her arms satisfactorily.

Neji shrugged. "Okay, you got me beat there." He frowned again. "But I still don't like the look of him. It's like…weird."

"Like déjà vu?"

"Yeah, exactly."

"Me, too." Tenten shrugged and handed Neji her handbag. "Okay. I'm gonna go find them. No, it's okay," she added at the shocked look on his face. "I can take care of myself. You don't need to worry. I'll be back before you know it!" She reached up and kissed him. "I love you."

"Love you, too," Neji said, not liking the feeling of despair in his chest. Something was wrong with that kiss. He could feel that something was just completely and utterly wrong.



Naruto strode down the dock and sighed, unable to figure out how the hell Orochimaru had gotten on this island in the first place, much less dismantle the boat engine. He growled irritable and sat down on the top of the three steps leading to the main walkway up to the house. He rested his head in his hands and stared angrily at the boat—stupid contraption. Now, if he could walk on water, this would not be a problem.

He could just carry everyone home. Hmmph.

Suddenly, Naruto heard a flurry of footsteps, a stumbling gait that he recognized immediately. He stood up and turned around just in time to catch Sakura, who had been about to pelt head-first onto the dock. He blinked, confused, and set her upright so she could stand on her own feet.

"Hon, what's up?" he asked, barely able to hide the humor in his voice. She was always tripping—it was so cute.

Sakura was gasping for breath, couldn't make out the words right. "I…he…didn't…but then….it was….I don't….touch me….he helped him…get in here and…."

Naruto's brow furrowed as he concentrated on his girlfriend's insane banter. He knew her well, and his mind was quickly deciphering her mangled words. The gears clicked into place, and shock shot across his face as he continued to hold Sakura up.

"Wait, are you telling me that someone in this house helped him get in?" he asked, holding onto her shoulder and giving it a firm shake. He had never been rough with her, but now wasn't the time to worry about that. She recoiled, blinking in confusion again and still unable to catch her breath.

"Sakura! Damn it! Tell me what you saw!"

But she didn't speak. She just shook her head and kept her mouth shut, watching his face with frightened, wide eyes. Naruto shook his head.

"Oh, Kami, Sakura I'm sorry," he murmured, pulling her to his chest. She stiffened and didn't hold onto him like usual. "I shouldn't be scaring you like that. I'm sorry." She relaxed a bit, and so did Naruto, realizing that Sakura would not tell him anything if he were mean. That just wasn't how she worked. He knew that. Lord he was a retard.

"Naruto!"

Turning around and still holding Sakura, Naruto saw Neji running towards him, his pale and usually stoic face filled with worry. He stopped in front of them, his eyes darting between the two.

"What's the matter, Neji?" Naruto asked sharply as he pushed Sakura off of him. This wasn't a place for comforting—this was work.

"It's…Tenten. She went off to find Sakura and she hasn't come back yet! I can't find her anywhere! You've been here more times than I have, can you help me? Damn it, Naruto, I can't lose her!"

* * *

**Phew! More drama! I live for this stuff! Lol. I hope Tenten's okay...it would really be sad if she weren't...hehehehe. ANd yes, Naruto is being a jerk tonight, because of the tension he's feeling and the worry and the imminent threat of death, in Sakura's words. And Sakura is quite angry, but realizes that she can't just rat out Sasuke like that. I hope you all review soon!!**

Luv much!

Nicola


	10. AUTHORS NOTEPLEASE READ!

Hello everyone! I'm baaaaaaack.

I know it's been a while since I've updated—like two years—but I'm ready to update again. I've started re-reading my stories and now that I am feeling the writing bug again, more chapters (and hopefully more stories) will be coming. I had serious writers block. And started college. But my first two semesters are almost over, I'm in the groove of the college life, and can happily write my heart out again. Bouryokudan and Uchiha Beauty will be updated in the next week or two. Promise!

I hope I haven't lost any of you due to the gap…and I hope to gain more readers!

Love much!

Nicola 3


	11. Chapter 10

**Hello! It is sooo good to be back! I can't believe it's been two years...well, school and work will do that to you I guess. I'm so happy to be writing again, and I seriously hope you all like this new chapter. I'm pretty happy about it. For returning fans--thanks for not abandoning me when I took my "extended vaca." To new readers--please enjoy! I'm so sorry for not writing in such a long period of time. I'm back though, and I'm raring to go!**

**Disclaimer: You all know the drill by now :)**

**Have fun! Love much!**

**Nicola**

* * *

Sakura breathed deeply through her nose, trying to calm her nerves and focus on what was happening. Neji had just run up to Naruto and proclaimed that Tenten was missing after searching for Sakura. Momentary guilt filled the pink-haired woman's chest at the thought of anything bad happening to Tenten. Tenten was one of the best people Sakura knew, one of the most wonderful women in Konoha. The thought of something happening to Tenten filled Sakura with dread.

Beside her, Naruto was quickly questioning Neji. "When did you last see her?"

"About thirty to forty minutes ago, when we noticed Sakura wasn't around," Neji replied fervently, shooting a glance at Sakura. "She said she'd be back in a few minutes and she hasn't come back yet. I don't know where she went, and I can't find her. Damn it, Naruto! Will you just help me find her already?!"

Naruto grabbed Neji by the shoulder and shook him gently. "Yes. Let's go put Sakura back in the ballroom and get Sai or someone. We'll need all the help we can get." He paused, and held his hand out for Sakura, who gladly took it. Then he frowned. "Itachi won't want one of his own to be killed in his own house."

As Sakura was pulled numbly to the ballroom instead of willingly away from it, she thought angrily about Sasuke. That idiot! That nasty, punk bastard! She couldn't believe him—letting Orochimaru into the house to kill the waiter and probably all of them if he had half of a chance. She bristled irritably, and Naruto glanced back. Oops. She had accidentally squeezed his hand as her thoughts ran over Sasuke. The sight of Naruto's bright blue eyes, concerned for her as always, made her stomach twist in guilt. She knew she wasn't going to tell him.

The ballroom was still buzzing over the discovery of the body, and the first thing Sakura saw was Jiraiya standing protectively next to Itachi, glaring daggers at the crowd with Sai picking at his nails beside him. Tsunade was calming Hinata, who was on the verge of hyperventilation. Anko and Asuma were pacing around the people as if keeping the herd in a tight group like a bunch of sheepdogs. Chouji was, as usual, nibbling on some sort of scone; Kiba, at Chouji's side, was urgently texting and calling on his cell phone. But there was someone missing that she was truly looking for. Her heart sank all the way to her toes when she realized he wasn't there. It really was a good thing, she remembered, but still! For some reason she wanted him to watch over her while Naruto and Neji searched for Tenten.

Naruto left her with a chaste kiss and a stern, "stay where you are," which she was not very happy to comply with. However, she didn't have very many options to choose from so she sat down on the couch that Jiraiya had previously stood on and rested her chin in her hands, sick with worry. Her stomach clenched uncomfortably, and her heart beat with sad thumps. If anything happened to Tenten, it would be all her fault. She was the one who ran off with Itachi's hated little brother, the one who hadn't told anyone where she was going, and the one who would be the only one to blame.

She suddenly felt the urge to vomit, and jumped up to find a bathroom. It was all too much, she couldn't take it. She rushed out of the room with her hand pressed against her mouth, searching desperately for the ladies room. She found one just outside of the ballroom and went hurriedly inside to bend over the toilet.

Resting her head on the side of the cool porcelain bowl, Sakura didn't hear the bathroom door open or the footsteps that followed. She was too concerned with making her stomach calm down than any background noise, until someone put their hand on her shoulder and turned her to face them. She gasped in surprise and immediately threw her hands up to protect herself.

vvv

Naruto's fists were clenched, his jaw set in an angry line as he and Neji combed the lower floors of Itachi's island mansion. He knew the mansion pretty well, and even in the dark he was able to find his way around. Neji was close at his heels with a flashlight in a tightly fisted hand. Naruto peeked into a room, ran his flashlight over the walls and the floor, and, seeing nothing, turned to the next one.

Beside him, Neji motioned that he was going to search the room across the hall. Naruto nodded and turned to his own room. He ran his light through it, discovered absolutely nothing and went to find Neji.

But Neji wasn't in the hallway as he had expected him to be.

Nervously, Naruto crept to the room across the hall and placed the light of the flashlight on the floor. It scanned the area by the door; Naruto quickly recognized the room as an empty banquet hall that Itachi rarely used. He scoffed quietly to himself—Itachi had no use for banquet halls or potential meeting rooms. Meetings with Itachi usually ended with a gunshot and a quick, efficient cleanup.

Naruto heard two screams.

vvv

Sakura gasped and shoved the hand away from her, thoroughly annoyed. First of all, how did he find her, and secondly, why was he even around her? Hadn't she made it clear enough that she did not want to see, hear, or deal with him ever, ever again. Of course, she would be lying to herself if she thought that was true, but he didn't know it wasn't true.

"I saw you leave the ballroom and wanted to make sure you were okay," Sasuke said quietly, his face unreadable. His voice was low and monotonous as usual, and she scowled at him. What a jerk.

"Get away from me," Sakura said slowly, trying desperately to ignore the butterflies in her tummy and he buzzing in her head and the fuzzy feeling in her hands as her skin touched his. She glared, turned her head, and stood up unsteadily. She swayed on her feet and when he caught her elbow she flinched unwillingly. He didn't seem taken aback, but she couldn't help but worry. Then she chastised herself. Why was she worrying about how Sasuke felt when it was his entire fault that they were in this predicament in the first place? He had let in Orochimaru, allowed a waiter to be murdered, and now Tenten was running around and probably going to die, too. Oh wait, that one was her fault. Duh.

Sasuke cleared his throat and forcibly steered her out of the bathroom stall. He sat her down on the ground outside of the bathroom and glared in a familiarly bored fashion. She tried so hard not to look at those deep, closed-door black eyes but failed miserably. She peeked. And then she melted.

"I'm sorry!" she blurted, then covered her mouth. Mortified, Sakura hit herself on the forehead, stood up, and tried to walk away. She wobbled again, but managed to avoid Sasuke's helpful hand this time. With a determined set to her jaw she headed back into the ballroom, trying futilely to keep her thoughts away from the man who was sure to be following her. However, when she turned to tell him off (in a not-so-Sakura manner), he wasn't there. He was gone.

"Hmph," she muttered, and lifted her dress to cross into the ballroom. Immediately she was grabbed by the arm for the umpteenth time that night and steered into a corner. She looked at who was holding onto her, half hoping it was Sai so she could deck him, when she saw the persons face. She paled.

In a dangerous, monotonous tone, Itachi murmured, "Where did you think you were going, Miss Sakura?"

Sakura's voice was stuck in her throat. She couldn't speak, much less shrug or make any other sort of motion. The spot where Itachi held her felt cold and his hand squeezed when she didn't answer. Immediately she wished Naruto were there with her to protect her like he always did, keep her from being too close to Itachi. Well, now she was really close to Itachi. Great.

Itachi chuckled darkly, and the sound made her flinch. "I hope you know what you're doing, Sakura." He said her name like it was a curse word. "Because that…stranger you're hanging around with might just be the end of you…" His voice drifted off, and she thought she caught the last part of his sentence. The idea sent chills up her spine.

His hand released her, and Sakura immediately rushed away from the scary man with her heart thumping wildly. She yearned for someone to hug her and take away the pain of Itachi's warning. He knew. He had to know. It was the only logical explanation! Sakura's head and ankle throbbed angrily and she sat down.

That's when Naruto came running in.

She stood up automatically and went towards him, then stopped when she saw he was making a beeline for Itachi. Of course, she thought bitterly, her chest tightened in annoyance, until she saw that his face was ashen, drawn, and shocked. She raked her eyes across his face and tried to figure out what could have made him so…upset, and then it hit her. Tenten.

"Oh, no!" she gasped and pushed through the throngs of people until she reached the front of the crowd gathered around Itachi and Naruto. Naruto was shaking visibly, whispering urgently into Itachi's ears. Sakura noticed that Itachi's hands tightened into fists for a split second before relaxing and pushing Naruto aside. He motioned for Jiraiya, who stepped forward to hear the directions that Itachi whispered to him; he then shoved his way through the people and out of the ballroom with Sai right behind him. Sakura felt her stomach turn again, millions of situations flipping through her mind.

Tenten, shot and bleeding, but perhaps still alive.

Tenten on the floor, strangled like the waiter in the kitchen, the wire still twisted loosely around her neck.

Tenten, dead, cold, on the floor of a cold, dark room, with a pale-faced figure hovering menacingly above her.

Sakura swallowed hard and raked her eyes over Naruto. He was pale, his blue eyes squinted and he was obviously trying very hard to keep himself in check. She rushed over to him and placed her hand on his arm. He flinched, and so did she. He didn't even seem to see her.

"Naruto," she whispered, tugging lightly at the arm of his tux. "Look at me. Naruto." He did. And she flinched again.

His glare was hard, angry, and she shrank back from it. His face was twisted in a mix of grief, annoyance, and pure red fury. She could almost see the heat burning off of his cheeks, feel the piercing pricks of his gaze, hear the yelling she knew was coming up his throat. She immediately let go of his arm as he turned his whole body towards her. Here it comes, she thought, and clenched her arms around her chest as if to protect her chest from the blows his words would make. She hated it when he got angry like this. He...scared her.

"It's all your fault Sakura!" he shouted, leaning towards her like an angry tiger or fox ready to strike. "You had to run off with that mystery man of yours, had to disobey me and leave the ballroom! YOU did this! You made Tenten run off to try and find your sorry head and look what happened! She's…she's…she's…" His voice broke off with a strangled cry, and his body relaxed surprisingly quickly.

Tears running down her face, Sakura halfheartedly tried to figure out what had calmed him down so easily. That was when she saw Itachi's hand on his shoulder; under the older man's grip Naruto had relaxed. Hurt even more by this small show of loyalty and trust, Sakura turned and fled the circle of people. The crowd parted like the sea for her, and she lost a shoe as she ran. She headed blindly for the door, her tears relentlessly streaking across her cheeks, in her mouth, down her chin. Her head pounded and her chest ached, and she pushed the doors open. She rushed headlong into the dark hallway, but it didn't matter if there was light or not—she couldn't see for her crying.

Naruto had yelled at her. He had berated her, screamed at her, rightfully blamed her for whatever had happened to Tenten. And now she was pretty sure she knew what Tenten's fate was. The beautiful, kind woman was dead. Dead because of Sakura's stupidity. Wasn't it always the reason? Every time Sakura did something for herself, acted selfishly, something bad happened. She wanted to leave work before finishing the papers, she sprained her ankle. She wanted a nice night with Naruto, they got into a car accident. She spent a few quality minutes with Sasuke and Tenten died because of it. What was wrong with her? Was she just a big bottle of bad karma, ready to break at a moment's notice?

After rounding about the fifth corner, Sakura sank to the floor and wept into her knees. She was ruining her dress she knew, but she didn't care anymore. Her chest and sides ached with the force of her sobs, her head throbbed angrily, and she just wanted to be left alone. Yet, there was a strange ache inside of her, a want for something, someone. She just couldn't…figure out whom.

And then she felt someone sit next to her, and warm and familiar body. She skittered awkwardly to the side, startled and afraid. The person's head was bowed in a shameful manner, one leg bent in up and the other stretched out in front of him. She stayed where she was, a foot or two away, refusing to look at the somber and well-known man. She was not going to look at him, not going to forgive him. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction, even though she wasn't sure if he would enjoy it or not. Whatever. She was not in a good mood with him.

The two sat there in silence for several long minutes, not looking at each other, until Sakura felt someone's eyes burning into her from her left. She couldn't resist. She had to look at him. And she did. And she didn't regret it. Those big, soulful eyes bore straight into her being and she immediately scooted closer, close enough that their shoulders were brushing lightly against each other. She flicked her eyes over the face she'd already memorized and sighed, long and low.

"I 'm sorry," a soft voice murmured. She wasn't sure what he was apologizing for, Tenten or her tears, but whichever she was going to accept it. She nodded and sniffled.

He patted her hand awkwardly, then sighed at the same moment she did. He looked down at her as she looked up, and when she chuckled he smirked. Oh how she liked to see him smirk—it was the closest thing she'd ever seen him get to a smile. And at the sight of his smirk, she realized that it had been him she was longing to come comfort her, when she'd been in the ballroom worrying about Tenten, and now, when she was weeping because of the man she loved. For the first time, Sakura felt humbled by his presence. Sasuke was suddenly there for her. She wasn't sure how to feel about this, but she would worry about it later. Right then, all she wanted was his silent company as she sorted through the mountain of feelings she was experiencing.

Feeling bold, Sakura reached and grabbed Sasuke's hand. He looked down at her, surprise etched in his normally bored features, but he didn't force his hand away. She looked down, glad the darkness was hiding her blotched and blushing face. If he saw her blushing like this, he would laugh and tease her, like he always had done. She was content to just be next to him, but holding onto him made him seem more real. For so long she had been under the impression that he had lost him forever, and now…he was here. Right with her, a silent source of comfort when Naruto wasn't around. Hell, Naruto was the cause of her problems.

"Thank you," she whispered into the darkness, and felt him squeeze her hand gently. The gesture reminded her sharply of an instance when she, Sasuke, and Naruto were all in high school together. Sakura had been coming out of gym, her least favorite class, when someone pushed her books down out of her hands and tripped her. That person, a bully who favorite the pink-haired teenager, walked off laughing and left Sakura to sniffle her tears away and scramble on the ground to pick up her stuff. Sasuke had come then and helped, then asked her who had done this. She shook her head, because he already knew. Angry, he'd given her a quick squeeze on the shoulder and walked off after the bully. Later that day, he'd been suspended for beating the bully up.

The memory made Sakura smile to herself. Those were the good days, back when life was legal and uncomplicated. People had a way of changing though, she figured with a sigh. They grew physically, mentally, and emotionally. They grew out of their friends and into new ones, into new lives and new occupations. Sadly, not all of the choices people made were necessarily good, for them or those around them. Sasuke…well, he hadn't made the best choices in the world.

vvv

Naruto was livid, absolutely livid. He kept running the scene over and over in his head, like a horror movie on loop.

The door was ajar, and, not seeing Neji anywhere, Naruto walked inside. He scanned his light through the front of the room. It looked safe. He stepped inside, and that's when he heard the screams. He rushed in, heart pounding, free hand already reaching for his gun. He pulled the gun out, cocked it, and whipped the flashlight around in a search for the source of the screaming.

"Oh god no, oh no, please no," someone was moaning, in obvious agony. Naruto noticed it was a male voice, a familiar male voice that he had never heard speak with such pain. The voice was almost always monotonous, calm, and collected. And he couldn't see him. Anywhere.

"Neji!" he shouted. "Neji, where are you?" He was answered only by more moans and a strangled series of sobs. Frantically Naruto flicked the light throughout the room, realizing it was the old banquet hall, and vaguely noticing the dust on the floor. The maids weren't as prompt as they used to be…his thoughts on cleanliness were interrupted when Neji wailed a mournful, heartbreaking sound. Naruto whipped around to the right, the source of the noise, and gasped.

His flashlight beam landed on the huddled figure of Neji, the man's shoulders shaking and his head wagging back and forth in agony. Naruto could hardly force himself to see what Neji was leaning over, but he looked. And his knees gave out.

There in Neji's arms, her head limp and hanging back, her arms dangling loosely at awkward angles, was the brown-haired beauty that was Tenten. The courageous woman, so stubborn at times and so willing to help her friends in any way possible, looked nothing but dead. Naruto would know—he had seen the faces of the dead before, the blank and empty expression to their eyes, the way their mouths hung open just a little, how their bodies were stiff and limp at the same time. As his eyes raked over Tenten, looking for the immediate source of death, he felt his face heat up and his eyes become wet.

Neji screamed again, rocking back and forth slowly, cradling his dead fiancé in his arms, burying his face in her hair. Naruto crept closer on his hands and knees, and Neji continued to shake all over. Naruto reached out to touch his friends shoulder, but was violently hit away. That's when he noticed the blood on Neji's hands, the blood staining the front of Tenten's ball gown. He clenched his fists—she'd been shot.

"Neji, Neji, look at me man. You have to put her down. Come on, let's take her somewhere else," Naruto tried to encourage, but Neji turned enraged eyes on him.

"No!" he shouted. "No! She's not dead! Don't even say anything like that! She's…she's sleeping! Sleeping, my sleeping beauty, my beautiful fiancé…there's nothing wrong with her…NO! Don't touch her! Go away! GO AWAY!" Neji broke down in sobs again, and Naruto stood up, knowing he wasn't going to get anywhere by himself. After wiping his eyes and glancing once more at the tragic scene, he turned and ran.

Now that he was back in the ballroom, he could hardly control his anger. He wanted to hit something, shake something, break something to pieces. More than that, though, he wanted to shoot something. The only reason he wasn't going to help with Neji was Itachi, who had sent Jiraiya and Sai in hopes that they were better able to hand the situation. They had a better hand on their emotions. Naruto was like a time bomb—when he got angry, it was unsure when he was going to blow.

And he always had something that set him off. This time, it was Sakura. The sight of her, pretty even in her worry, had made him flip. All he could see when he looked at her was Tenten, lying in Neji's arms, dead because she'd been looking for his girlfriend. The guilt was immense, because if it hadn't been for him forcing everyone to look after Sakura, then Tenten would still be alive. But she was dead. Because of him.

And Sakura…damn it, Sakura! If only she could take care of herself, if only she didn't run off at the slightest opportunity. She had no sense of self-preservation. If she had only stayed put instead of rushing off with that man…speaking of which, where the hell was the freak? He deserved a berating, too. He glared around the room, but didn't see him. Hmph. Maybe the man was going to be the next victim of Orochimaru.

Itachi was next to him, quietly fuming. Thank goodness Itachi had been there before he had hit Sakura, or done or said something else to worsen the situation. He did not feel bad about yelling at her, but he did feel bad for doing it so publicly. Now the room was buzzing with the news of Tenten and with Naruto's little hissy fit. He clenched his fists and glared suddenly at the crowds of people. They were filled with his friends and comrades but one person was missing. The woman he loved, and the woman he had just yelled at. For a moment he felt guilty, then pushed it away with thoughts of fear. Even if he were mad and anguished, he still wanted to make sure Sakura was okay. So he put his irritation aside and left the room with Itachi's stare pushing into his back.

He left the room, letting his eyes focus to the darkness. He didn't know where she had run off to but it couldn't be very far. As clumsy as she was, and since she'd been crying (his chest panged a little at the idea) she had probably stopped somewhere close by. He walked through several hallways, twisting around narrow turns a few times, until he heard her voice murmuring quietly. She was talking, sayings something that he couldn't quite make out, but the sound of her voice was sad and disappointed. He flinched.

He rounded the corner, expecting to see her alone. Instead, he saw her sitting next to the man she'd been dancing with earlier, sitting rather close to him in fact. Their shoulders were touching. She was talking to him like he was an old friend, someone she knew very well and could trust, the way she should be talking to her boyfriend. This was a stranger, and yet she was confiding in him. He could hear their conversation now, mostly one-sided.

"I don't know. I really…I can't believe she's…gone. It's my fault, I know that for sure. She's just so…sweet and nice and so courageous. She had the biggest gall of any of the men that worked with Itachi. She had to. She was the only woman…" She broke off crookedly as tears fell down her face again. Naruto growled.

He turned away from the two and stalked back to the ball room, the fire that was his anger fully stoked again. What right did she think…why wasn't she…ooh! He was so angry. He reached behind him and touched his gun that was tucked into the back of his pants. He sighed and sat down on the floor by the door, his head in his hands.

vvv

Orochimaru stood out on the docks, watching the first edge of sun begin to come over the horizon. A nasty grin was on his face, his gun in his hand, the other brushing his long black hair out of his eyes. He had come and done what he'd wanted to. His message was sent.

He laughed lowly as a rescue boat began to appear. He threw his gun into the ocean and waved his hands to get the attention of the ship. The ship's horn wailed across the lightening waters, alerting its approach. Soon the ship would be docked, and everyone would be going home. Then, the real fun would begin. Orochimaru licked his lips and slipped back inside, prepared to blend in with the crowd and take the boat back to the mainland.

vvv

Itachi looked up as Sai came back into the ballroom, his face as urgent as it ever got. He leaned close to listen to whatever Sai had to say, and nodded slowly as the message was passed on. Sai had glanced out the window, where a ferry was coming to rescue those stranded on the island. Thank Kami that someone was coming. Itachi couldn't stand being stuck here any longer. Besides, on the mainland it would be easier to run the operation. He was going to get rid of Orochimaru as soon as Tenten's funeral was over. He may not have been the best of people, but he did have respect for the dead. Let his men mourn. Then, they would seek out revenge of the worst kind.

A phrase passed through his mind. His mother used to remind his father whenever he was plotting something against someone who had wronged him that "he who seeks revenge digs two graves." At the time, Itachi had not realized what it meant. Now, however, he understood perfectly. There was a price to pay for getting revenge on someone and it was usually of a personal kind. Whatever it took, he told himself. Whatever it took.

He turned to Sai and said, "Gather everyone and put them in the front on the docks. I mean everyone." He looked meaningfully at his loyal, who nodded and set off. Itachi didn't even ask where Jiraiya was—it was obvious. He was consoling Neji, trying to get the man to let go of his wife so that they could move her to the ship that was on its way. Itachi had no doubts that Jiraiya could easily handle Neji, for he too had experienced loss in his life. It wasn't a well know fact, but Orochimaru used to be Jiraiya's best friend, almost like a brother. In some ways, Jiraiya would have liked to call Orochimaru his brother, but it was impossible. They were on opposite sides and always would be.

Itachi walked out of the room and into the foyer, where he could see out of the windows. The sun was rising. Soon, everyone would be back in their own homes, ready to move on with their lives after this frightening night. And Itachi was ready to move on with his own plans.

Orochimaru would die. And by his hands. His eyes flashed red as he turned the doorknob.

* * *

**Drama drama drama! Tenten is dead....I dunno if I'm going to do her funeral or not, might be too much for me to handle. I think I'll go right after the funeral, then fall into more Sasuke moments!! Naruto = JERK. Oh well. You know, these characters have been picking at me for the longest and I'm so happy to satisfy them...REVIEW! **

**Love much!!**

**Nicola 3**


	12. Chapter 11

**YAY! Another chapter doneee! I'm so proud of myself…except for the fact that I should have been studying for my World Religions test instead of writing but who cares! I'm content as a cookie dunked in milk…well, the cookie wouldn't be so happy but the person eating the cookie would be!  
Disclaimer: You know.**

**REVIEW! Luv much!  
Nicola**

* * *

Naruto opened the door to his and Sakura's comfortable little home, waiting silently for Sakura to pass the threshold before he entered. She walked inside and heard him shut the door, fumbling with her purse as she passed the couch and entered the kitchen. Naruto followed behind her, just as quiet as she was. They had just returned from the funeral.

It had been closed-casket, of course, and never had Sakura attended a more somber ceremony. The whole thing was done beautifully and tastefully, but that could not make up for the heavy air leaning on everyone's shoulders. No one held back their tears, their hugs or condolences. The sight of that smooth white box had set Sakura into near hysterics that she could barely contain; at least until she saw Neji, and knew that she had to be strong for him.

Neji's face had been so tragic. His cheeks were stained with tears, and more continued to pour down onto his chin. His eyes were empty and seemed hollow, and the way he clutched the program with Tenten's face on it was heartbreaking. Nothing consoled him, not that anyone expected anything to. It felt as if Sakura's heart was wrenched out a second time when she gave Neji a hug that he did not return. He was frozen, she'd realized. Frozen back in that moment when he was holding Tenten's still body in that terrible room.

Sakura looked over at Naruto, who was slowly eating an orange and staring into space. Her heart beat quickly at the thought of losing him. Tenten's death only solidified the fact that what Naruto did was dangerous. Every day he risked his life for that stupid man Itachi. As the scary Uchiha's face swirled into her mind, Sakura felt anger seep into her veins. She hated him. She absolutely hated him.

Ever since their fight at the ball, the tensions between Naruto and Sakura had increased tenfold. She still was a little frightened of him after he'd yelled at her—even after a week she felt a little nervous around him. Yes, they still ate together and exchanged pleasantries, but Naruto had been taking the later shifts and not coming home until dawn, when Sakura was just getting up. He then slept for most of the day, got up, ate dinner and left. They barely spoke.

But now…Sakura wanted to go and hug him. She wanted him to hold her and kiss her and tell her that everything was going to be okay. She wanted to cuddle on the couch, watch old movies, and go back to the way they were. And she knew he wanted the same thing. Well, he did, didn't he? She couldn't be completely sure…but in her mind she liked to think so.

Her questions were answered when Naruto walked by her. He paused, kissed her on the top of the head, and walked out. She stared after him in shock, and touched the place where he'd kissed. He went to the door, grabbing his coat and his keys.

"I'm just going to go tell Itachi I need the night off. I'll be home in about an hour." And then he walked out.

Utterly confused but still kind of happy, Sakura rushed into the kitchen to start preparing dinner. As she gathered the ingredients together, she thought that there was no better way to distract herself from the funeral than keeping her hands busy. Besides, it was starting to look like Naruto was beginning to forgive her. She was still a little confused as to why he was angry, but she figured it was because she'd run off and ultimately led to Tenten's death. Her stomach twitched guiltily, and she had to stop her cooking to wrap her arms around herself.

As she went into the living room, she decided that she could just order takeout. She didn't feel up to cooking tonight. She sat on the couch and nestled comfortably into the cushions. She was still in her black dress, but she didn't care. All she wanted was to rest for an hour before Naruto came home. She reached for her purse and dug out her cell phone, dialing the Chinese restaurant down the road. Thank goodness they delivered!

When she put her phone down, it wasn't two seconds before it started ringing again. She sighed and checked the caller ID—Naruto! She opened it hastily, nervously answering.

"Uhm, hello?" Gah! She hadn't meant for it to sound like a question!

"Hey, Sakura," Naruto's voice came over the line, and she did not like the tone it took. It was that hesitant tone he got whenever he had bad news. She bristled, automatically thinking about the worst instead of the obvious. "Listen, I can't…Itachi really needs me to work tonight. I'm so sorry."

She was quiet for a few seconds, and when he hesitantly asked if she was still there, she said curtly, "Yes, I'm here. I guess I'll just see you in the morning then."

"Yeah," he said, clearing his throat. "Um, about that, I won't be home in the morning either, more like tomorrow afternoon or evening. There was a…unexpected problem that we have to take care of."

Angry now, Sakura just said, "Fine, whatever," and hung up the phone. Damn him! She punched the pillow on the couch and stood up. She was going to change into her pajamas, get a granola bar, and listen to music all night. Again. As she walked to their bedroom, she heard the sky open and rain begin pouring out. Two seconds later, thunder shook the house. She squeaked and went into the room. She hated thunder.

Naruto pulled into Itachi's driveway in his annoyingly white Lamborghini, trying to ignore the lingering smell the car left on him. His long legs carried him into the house and he automatically took of his jacket and hung it on the coat rack next to the door. He heard voices in the kitchen chattering somberly, either about business or the funeral, and knew that one of two missing voices would be absent for a long time.

He skipped meeting and greeting everyone in the kitchen, instead going straight upstairs to Itachi's office where the man was waiting for him. As he took the stairs, he thought about the phone call he'd just had with Sakura. She had seemed so disappointed—maybe she'd been planning something special. He scoffed at the guilty feeling he got, wondering why if he were so mad at her why he was feeling bad for her.

In all honesty, he couldn't completely blame her for Tenten's death. In their business, death was normal. Any one of them could have gotten shot. So it wasn't so much her part in the death of a friend that ticked him off. It was the fact that Sakura kept risking her life when he just wanted her to be safe. Okay, yes, just being around him and those in the business put her life on the line, but she could still be a little more careful! He winced as he thought of the warning Kakashi had given him after the accident, mentally noting to be just as careful as she should with his life and her own.

The office's curtains were drawn as usual, and when Naruto went in he saw Itachi pacing behind his desk. Not so patiently he waited, shifting from foot to foot, running a hand through his unruly hair. He knew Itachi would scold him for being so fussy but he couldn't help it! He had so much pent up energy, and after the past week and a half's events he needed some good, long work to keep his mind far away.

Finally, Itachi turned to glare at him. "Will you stop it?" he snarled, and Naruto grinned, not a hint of regret or sheepishness in him. Itachi sighed and placed his hands on the desk, obviously frustrated. Naruto tilted his head and waited.

This time, he tried to be as still as possibly, not wanting to tick off his quick-tempered boss any more than he usually did. No matter the situation between him and Sakura—he still wanted to get home to her sometime tomorrow. The thought crossed his mind of not going home to her, and he felt a quick flash of panic. What would happen to her if he didn't go back? He quickly shook off the feeling, however, dismissing the thought as errant and stupid, because of course he would never get hurt. He smirked. The only one who got hurt when he was around was the person his gun was pointing to.

"Naruto," Itachi said sharply, obviously not for the first time, and Naruto flinched, and then grinned at his boss. Itachi shook his head and glared a little more fiercely than usual. "We have an unwanted guest in our parts. I think you know who it is." Naruto shrugged.

"I dunno, Itachi-san. Orochimaru wouldn't be here." Acting dumb was his only defense, Naruto reasoned with himself. He didn't want to think that he was called here to go after the one man he didn't want to. But when Itachi snarled and his hand inched closer to his desk drawer—where the little-used but dangerous handgun was kept—Naruto knew he'd better speak up. "Okay. Yes, I know who it is. It's…Sasuke." Naruto barely kept from cringing at the name.

Itachi nodded slowly, his hand moving back closer to him (Naruto sighing in relief as it did so) and muttered, "I know you had an encounter with him, Naruto. And if you so much as see him and again refrain from telling me, then you will not have the legs to stand on. Do you understand, Uzumaki?"

Naruto swallowed, unused to threats directed at him by his boss. "Yes, sir, I do. Would you like me to go search for him?"

Laughing darkly without a smile, Itachi shook his head. "You idiot. Of course that's what I want you to do! I want you to find him, bring him to me, and let me take care of the rest. You will be joined by Asuma, Sasori, and Deidara. Leave. They are in the kitchen waiting for you." He paused and moved so quickly around the desk that Naruto didn't even notice until the man was in his face. "If you screw this up, you will suffer great consequences. Don't think I've forgotten about your little girlfriend." Naruto bristled and stalked out, fuming.

Sometimes, Itachi really pissed him off.

Kakashi chucked his phone away from him and it hit the wall, and fell to the ground. The ringing stopped (finally) and he sat back in his chair. He was at his office again, re-reading the case file of the missing boy, and studiously trying to make a connection between the kidnapping and the recent murders at Itachi's island mansion. One glance at the files gave him no more hope that a few moments ago, so he shoved away from the desk and stood up. It was hopeless.

Staring out his window, he thought about what happened to the little boy—taken from his parents' house, right out of the kitchen. He knew that it was connected to the two murders, but he just couldn't figure it out. How could the two possibly be related? It was driving him mad. He stalked away from the window, grabbed his coat, and passed through the hallways of ANBU headquarters. No one looked up from their frantic work except for Nara Shikaku, who promptly followed Kakashi outside.

The two men walked along in companionable silence, both heading for Russo's for a cup of coffee and a good session of talk. Kakashi could always count on Shikaku to have his back, to help him figure out a case he just couldn't seem to get a grasp on. The dark-haired man was the closest Kakashi had to a friend, if only because they both enjoyed not talking, keeping to themselves, and upholding the law. At the thought of friendship, Kakashi glanced nervously about him—he sighed when he saw that Gai was not around. Gai was obsessed with Kakashi, probably considered him his best friend, and possessed an irritating need to surpass him in everything. Kakashi vaguely recalled a tennis game in which they'd played for several hours before nearly collapsing with exhaustion. Kakashi had been avoiding a rematch for years.

Once at Russo's, Kakashi and Shikaku both ordered black coffee and took a booth at the furthest corner of the little restaurant. After a few moments, a waiter came up—some teenager in need of extra cash—and gave them their orders. They thanked him quietly and sipped, both contemplating the recent events and their possible effects.

With a heavy sigh, Kakashi put down his coffee. "How?" he asked simply, but it was enough for Shikaku to understand.

"I have no idea. The connection is there, but I can't find it. We both know through common sense that Orochimaru and Sasuke are seriously involved, but without solid proof we can't use the two cases as one investigation." He lifted his cup to Kakashi. "Yes, you could easily grant the permission, but that would be morally wrong. And what if we have got it all wrong? Then we'd just be wasting time and men."

Nodding in agreement at this speculation, Kakashi said, "I know exactly what you mean. However, we could always…use our connections." Shikaku looked stricken at the idea, but Kakashi held up a hand to stop him from speaking. "Look, I know you're against it with your life, but I don't see the harm in, when we're off duty," he emphasized that part, "going to Naruto or Asuma or Anko and asking for their…input."

Shikaku's face was the epitome of disagreement, but Kakashi's mind was whirring. He ignored whatever Shikaku was saying, already thinking of going to Naruto's house in the next day or two and seeing what he could pick from the boy's brains. And Shikaku could call on a few favors from Asuma, and Kakashi could do the same for Anko. They had all grown up together, and were still loyal to each other despite their positions on opposite spectrums.

Kakashi slowly nodded to himself. Yes, this just might work.

It was very, very quiet in the little house that night, and Sakura was feeling quite lonely as she sat on the couch and stared at the ceiling, her headphones in her ears and music softly pouring into them. The sky outside was covered by a heavy layer of rain clouds, and thunder rumbled in the distance. Every time she heard the familiar, unwanted moan of the unearthly thunder over her music, she shuddered. She hated that Naruto was out working (if you could call it that) while she was at home, alone, without someone to hold her and talk to her.

Thunderstorms were the worst, especially when she had the whole place to herself, and especially after today. The thunder seemed to rock the entire house, the lightning lit up every window and every room. The thought of a storm sent chills up Sakura's spine. She hated being alone, even more so during one of the dreaded rainstorms. Yes, the sound of the rain pounding on the roof and windows could be soothing, but only when she had someone to share it with. Otherwise it was just creepy.

The soothing strains of a classical composition blocked out another roll of thunder, and Sakura closed her eyes, relaxing at the sound of violins and cellos and dozens of other instruments coming together to create a masterpiece. She let a sigh escape her lips, trying to fall as far as she could into the flowing, placating music. Concentrating on the music allowed Sakura to momentarily forget about the problems she was having with Naruto. It was just easier not to think, not to think at all.

Naruto wouldn't be home until tomorrow afternoon, if that soon. Itachi had him out "working" for the long shift. It was as if Naruto were connected to puppet strings, and Itachi was holding the ends. Whenever the mob boss called, Naruto threw down whatever he was doing and scurried out the door like his life depended on it. Sometimes it reminded Sakura of a docile, frightened puppy running to his master at the slightest beck and call. It made her sick to her stomach.

The song on her music player switched to a different classical piece, one she knew very well. It was just piano music, soft, quiet, romantic piano music. She followed the notes in her mind, concentrating solely on the sound. She was concentrating so hard she almost didn't hear her phone chirrup. Blinking in surprise, she opened her cell and checked the text message—Naruto. She scowled, almost afraid to read it, but she did anyway. She sighed irritably. Naruto wouldn't be home until late tomorrow evening, apparently. Itachi had some sort of "lead" that he was desperate to follow, meaning Naruto would be away for longer.

"Damn it," she cursed, and turned off her cell phone. She didn't want to hear it anymore. That was what was frustrating about their relationship—Naruto was never home with her. He was always working, work, work, work.

Then came the knock.

It came from the back door, and Sakura had to take out her earphones to make sure that she really had heard it. With a shrug, she leapt off the couch and headed through the kitchen, figuring it was just one of Itachi's men looking for a cup of hot tea in a rainstorm before heading back out again. It wouldn't be the first time it had happened. But when she peered out the window, she gasped. The person out there was as far from being one of Itachi's men as you could get. The tall, brooding, and sopping wet figure she recognized immediately and flung open the door.

"What are you doing here?"

Sasuke looked up at her, rain dripping down his face, and glanced meaningfully over her shoulder at the kitchen. She stepped aside and abruptly closed the door the moment he was in. Water dribbled off of him and formed a puddle at his feet, which were also soaked through. Sakura just stared at him, unable to process that he was actually at her house, in her kitchen, soaking wet and dripping everywhere.

"What the…" She grabbed a small towel from beside the sink and handed it to him. He promptly began to wipe off his face and rubbed at his hair. She watched him as he dried his arms and hands, and feebly attempted to stop his shirt from dripping. With a sigh, she held her hand out for the towel, which he handed over, and grabbed a hold of his elbow. "Come on, Sasuke. Get in the bathroom and take a shower. I'll get you some clean clothes of Naruto's to wear."

Sasuke opened his mouth to protest, couldn't think of a decent argument, and obediently went into the bathroom. She waited a moment until she heard the shower turn on, smiled to herself, and plodded down the hall to her and Naruto's bedroom. She dug around in Naruto's drawers, looking for an old t-shirt and some sweatpants. A moment later she resurfaced holding a pair of gray drawstring pants and one of Naruto's Ichiraku (his favorite spot to hit up for ramen) t-shirts. She smirked—Sasuke would probably die before wearing one of those shirts, but it wasn't as if he had much of a choice.

For a second, she wondered why she was helping him, why she had let him inside, and why he was here in the first place. It was just wrong. She was fraternizing with the enemy here. It was dangerous. But the small part of her that still cared for Sasuke pushed all those thoughts away. Right now, Naruto wasn't here. He didn't have to know about this.

Quietly she tiptoed down to the bathroom and set the clothes outside the door. There was no way she was going to walk in there while Sasuke was in the shower. She could still here the water running, so she headed into the living room and sat down on the couch again. Once her headphones were in her ears, she lay her head back on the armrest and closed her eyes. The piano music began again, but in the middle this time.

She didn't hear the door of the bathroom open, drawn in by the classical song playing in her ears, nor did she hear the sound of bare feet on hard wood floors. But then again, she probably wouldn't have heard Sasuke walking towards her. He walked silently no matter where he was or what he was wearing on his feet. She didn't know he was behind her, or that he was staring down at her. She was too absorbed in her music.

She felt a tingling, like someone was watching her, and opened one eye cautiously. She gasped, then let out her breath in a whoosh before glaring at the Uchiha man. Sasuke had startled her out of her mind. She sat up and turned around so she was facing him, and quickly turned off the music player as the song switched. She blinked and cleared her throat when she got a good look at him.

Of course, he hadn't wanted to wear the Ichiraku Ramen Shop shirt. Sakura hadn't thought he would have a choice, but apparently he did—he had decided to go shirtless. She felt girlish feelings swell up in her and fought back a blush. He was just so damn…ripped. He had muscles, and his muscles had muscles. It was crazy. Naruto was muscled, too, but not to this extent. Obviously Sasuke worked not just in the gym, but did hard labor to earn those abs and thick shoulders and arms.

"Um…" she mumbled stupidly, keeping her gaze off of his chest. "Uh, did you have a nice shower?" Great. How much dumber could she get?

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and nodded. She smiled nervously and tossed the music player onto the coffee table, scooting over to make room for him to sit down. Sasuke gladly did so when she motioned for him to take the seat beside her, and he rested one ankle on the other knee, his foot jiggling slightly with unreleased energy. Sakura tried to keep her eyes off him, and found that she had to focus very hard to do so. For some reason she just wanted to look at him, to swallow with her eyes every inch of his figure, of his black eyes, black hair, beautiful face. It was like a hunger inside of her, a hunger that she could barely suppress.

A clap of thunder rolled across the sky, and without headphones and music to drown it out, Sakura nearly jumped out of her skin and huddled on the couch, trying to pass the jerky movement as a momentary hiccup and failing miserably. Sasuke didn't blink as he studied her shaking form, and she could almost hear him thinking that she was a big baby for being scared of thunder storms, and at her age, too.

Okay, so she was a chicken shit. It was a well-known fact among Konohagakure. Sometimes she was teased at the hospital when storms blew in during work hours, but most of the time people just accepted it. Everyone was afraid of something, right?

But here was Sasuke staring at her as if she were the most interesting thing he'd ever seen in the world, probably wondering why she was such a child. She put on her most indignant face and glared at him.

"So are you gonna make fun of me?" she prompted, her glare hard and severe. "I mean, that's what you've always done, hasn't it? Teased me until I cried? Well, here's your chance." Her tone was bitter and angry, a remnant of her anger and shame from the funeral.

And to her surprise, Sasuke looked ashamed, and startled.

"No, no," he murmured. "I'm not going to make fun of you. Why would I do that?"

"Because you always have," Sakura insisted, feeling slightly foolish for jumping to conclusions. "You always got a kick out of making me upset."

Sasuke winced, and Sakura's eyebrows rose in shock. Was he….sorry for what he did? Did it actually cause him physical pain? The thought made the evil part of her being laugh with delight—served the conniving, mean bastard right. And then her tender side melted immediately. How sweet.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you back then," he murmured, and Sakura nodded, unsure if she should accept this apology or not. "Can I make it up to you now?"

Still unsure, Sakura looked into Sasuke's face, saw the sincerity there, and sighed heavily. Apparently Sasuke took that as a "yes" because he put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his side. She tensed, then relaxed. His warm arm felt so welcoming, and so much like home, that she couldn't refuse. It was like being stranded in a foreign city in a foreign land and seeing a McDonalds or other restaurant that was familiar back home. And yet, she was so confused.

And when the thunder started up again, she huddled closely against him and allowed him to hold her there.

They sat there for several long minutes, and then Sasuke leaned his head down and kissed her on the forehead. She froze, startled and completely confused, before letting herself relax again and looking up at him. She didn't care about Naruto, about her committed relationship, about the differences of good and bad and what was going to keep her safe. She didn't care that Tenten had just died because of this man's boss. She didn't care that Sasuke had left before, that Naruto was who she was with now and that he loved her to death (because honestly he hadn't been showing it lately). All she could see was the long night and day ahead of them, of the solitary confinement of her little home, and of the beautiful face of the man next to her.

She tilted her chin until she was kissing Sasuke's chin, and he lowered his head a bit, allowing her access to his lips. She pressed hers to his, relishing the feel of his soft lips and the emotion she could sense behind the kiss. Sasuke placed his hand on the back of her head, pulling her closer to him, holding onto her for dear life. She didn't even want to think about what the reasons behind this kiss might be, but she wasn't going to complain either. Whatever it was, she was enjoying it.

The kiss broke too soon, and she flushed as she looked down at her hands. Sasuke was still as a rock beside her. She felt utterly awkward, flushing at her thoughts of spending the night with her old friend.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, wringing her hands together nervously. She felt like such an idiot—she had just kissed Sasuke, the great betrayer, the one who had broken her heart in two. She was with Naruto for Kami's sake! And here she was in the house they lived in together, spending an intimate moment with his ex-best friend. What was wrong with her?

Sasuke cleared his throat. "You shouldn't be sorry." She felt him shrug and shift his weight but she still refused to look over at him. He sighed and fell still and silent. She frowned.

Ever since they were kids, Sasuke had had this way of being able to be quiet for incredibly long periods of time. It was one of the most annoying habits he had. You could talk his ear off for hours on end and nothing you said would render a response, unless it had something to do with Itachi or the business. And even then all he'd do was glare and tell you to shut up, if he spoke at all. Sakura tried to focus on memories than the tension radiating between the two of them.

She almost wished he would insult her, if only for the sole need for her to hear his voice. He'd said for her not to be sorry. Well, if she didn't feel guilty and "sorry," then what was she supposed to feel, happy? Certainly not! She'd just kissed Sasuke, great betrayer, ex-best-friend of her boyfriend! There was something seriously twisted in this.

The silence was getting to her. She could hear an imaginary clock ticking away somewhere in the back of her mind, agonizingly marking off the seconds and minutes that Sasuke refused to speak. She began to twist her hands around, fiddle her thumbs, eyes flicking back and forth from the couch to the coffee table to the television and back again. The noise in her head grew to buzzing.

Erratically her thoughts ran to Tenten, and she felt tears well up in the corners of her eyes. She saw Tenten's face the night of the ball, smiling, happy and glowing with the news of her engagement to Neji. Tenten…poor, dear Tenten. She'd been so full of life just a week ago, so ready to start her new life and to become a wife. Tears sprung to Sakura's eyes at the thought of her lost friend.

She swallowed hard, trying to push down the lump in her throat and failing miserably. She reached up and brushed back the tears starting to pour out of her eyes. Tenten, Tenten, she was so sorry. She was sorry in twenty different ways. Sorry she hadn't been a better friend, sorry she hadn't spent more time with her, sorry she'd run off and caused her death. So, so sorry.

Her efforts to keep the tears behind her imaginary dam failed, and she was soon bawling. Her breath came in hiccups as she babbled incoherently about how sorry she was, unsure whether she was talking to Tenten, Sasuke, or Naruto. Whatever. In all three cases, it was true. She was sorry. Her chest tightened unpleasantly as she bawled, and she didn't have to look at Sasuke to know he was utterly shocked, unsure, and annoyed by her sudden outburst of emotion.

And then he was holding her, his strong arms wrapped around her and pulling her to his chest. She resisted feebly, but then couldn't anymore. She wanted to be there, which only made her weep harder.

Sasuke put his hand on her head, the other on her back, and rubbed small circles below her shoulder blades. She cried, tears running off her face and onto his bare chest which she didn't have the mind to feel self-conscious about. She could barely make out the soft, calming words he was cooing to her—she was too absorbed in trying to contain her sobs.

And then he started kissing her.

At first it was just the top of her head, but then it moved to her forehead, her nose, her closed eyes, her cheeks, and her chin. She could not have stopped even if she wanted to, which she did not. She wanted him to kiss her. Finally, he tilted her chin up, his black eyes boring into her, and she couldn't move. Her whole being was itching with the absolute need for him.

His lips pressed against hers for the second time that night, and she completely fell into him. He pulled her even closer to him (if that were possible), wrapping his arms around her waist. She put her arms around his neck, twisting her fingers into his hair and pulling ever so slightly. He lay back on the couch, holding her with him and laying her on top of him. She did so willingly, having no regard for anything that had happened or was going to happen. All she cared about was right now.

And honestly, Sasuke wasn't going to argue with her.

* * *

**Phew! Sakura you bad, bad, bad girl! Kissing Sasuke when Naruto isn't home! GASP! I wonder what they're going to do during the rest of their night together O_o hahaha. Okay ya'll, please review! **

**Also, any ideas for another story—I'm open! Remember—REVIEW! **

**Luv much!  
Nicola**


	13. Chapter 12

**Hey all, sorry it took so long for me to publish again. I had finals, my internet broke, and it seemed like everything to decide to crash at once. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing.**

**Love much!**

**Nicola**

* * *

Sasuke's kisses grew more fervent with each passing second, his lips leaving hers and traveling down her face, and to her neck. Sakura flinched pleasantly with this development, happy to just be in Sasuke's arms. He continued to kiss her, and she was not going to stop him. It felt so nice to be held like this again, to be kissed like she was loved. For a week, since the ball, she'd been deprived of a soft hand, a kind touch, a sweet kiss. Her heart bounded in her chest and every movement Sasuke made.

The thunder outside, and the pounding rain did not even scare her anymore. They seemed to meld into the background—quiet reminders of the world outside of her little house. But that world didn't matter right now. All that mattered was Sasuke, the couch, and her thudding heartbeat.

Then the phone rang.

Sakura and Sasuke both paused, listening in shock to the ringing of the telephone. Confused for a moment, Sakura soon realized that she'd turned off her cell phone, the main source of connection between herself and Naruto. He was probably having a heart attack that she wasn't answering; because she would bet her life right then that it was him calling on the house phone. She slowly got up with Sasuke's help and made her way over to the phone, straightening her tank top and fluffing out her hair. She did not know why she was doing this—it wasn't as if Naruto could see her or anything—but it felt like the right thing at the moment.

"H-hello?" she answered, mentally kicking herself for stuttering. If she kept this up Naruto would figure something was up and come home.

"Why weren't you answering your cell phone?" was the first thing Naruto said. Sakura flinched.

"Sorry," she mumbled, playing with the cord. "I turned it off."

There was a moment of silence that made her worry deeply. Then he said, "Oh. Well, you just had me worried is all. Hey, I'm really sorry I have to work tonight. I'm out looking for someone and Itachi doesn't want me to rest, apparently."

"It's okay. We can eat a nice dinner tomorrow," Sakura suggested. It was a long shot, but maybe there was still hope for her and Naruto. "So you'll be home in the evening tomorrow?" She was trying to steer the conversation away from topics of Naruto's work. Usually she would ask who he was looking for but she thought she knew this time. Actually she was sure she knew. Sasuke was his intended target.

"Yeah, I'll be home by like seven. He can't keep me forever!" Naruto's attempt at a joke was feeble, but it made her smile anyway. "And dinner sounds nice, by the way. We can go out, or we can just eat in or something."

"Okay," she said. "Well, I'm going to finish my book and then go to bed. So I'll see you tomorrow."

"Alright. Bye, Sakura."

"Bye."

She hung up the phone and turned to see w here Sasuke was. He was still on the couch, this time sitting with his feet propped up on the coffee table, flipping through a book she had laid there. Sakura went and sat next to him again, absently wondering if there was any mark on her neck from his kisses. She should feel guilty, she reminded herself. But she didn't. Even after talking to Naruto and offering some sort of peace treaty, she still did not feel bad about kissing Sasuke.

Ok, so it was more like making out with Sasuke but that was beside the point!

Sasuke was still flipping through her book, apparently ignoring her. Sakura wondered why—maybe it was because he didn't think he was going to get what he wanted. The thought that passed her mind made her shudder and she pushed it away. No, Sasuke wasn't the kind of guy to just use a girl, especially her. He was better than that.

"Sorry that we were interrupted," she said quietly, looking at Sasuke's hands. He stopped turning the pages of the book and set it back on the table. She could feel him looking at her with those intense eyes of his but she kept her gaze lowered. She was afraid of what she might see in his face. Maybe if she looked at him, she would feel guilty. And she didn't want that.

The silence continued. Sakura wanted so badly to go back to five minutes ago, when they'd been kissing and holding onto each other as if for dear life. Well, she'd been holding on to him for dear life. She wasn't sure what he'd been doing. Whatever it was, she had enjoyed it immensely.

"Sakura, look at me, please." Sakura was so surprised at his voice that she did not look up (She had never out-silenced Uchiha Sasuke! This was a first!). Sasuke sighed, and tilted her chin up with his hands ever-so-gently. She relaxed immediately.

His black eyes were not hard, angry, or bored—the expressions she was used to seeing on him. Instead, they were almost soft. There was emotion behind them that she had not seen before. It was a look that usually belonged to Naruto when they were spending a quiet night together on the couch, watching movies. It was kind, almost loving. And it made her heart swell and her face break into a smile.

Sasuke smirked back, apparently unable to smile ever, and leaned in to kiss her gently on the lips. She leaned into him, but he pulled back just slightly so that their lips were barely brushing against each other. She closed her eyes in bliss. She'd never been kissed like this before, not even by Naruto. This was passionate, gentle, sweet, and exactly how someone's first kiss should be (although it was definitely not their first kiss). It was romantic in the simplest in most honest form.

"Sasuke," she whispered, and he pulled her against him, wrapping his strong arms around her. This was what she wanted—to be in the place she belonged. With his arms holding her, she felt safe, secure, and completely whole. There was no missing piece. She was who she was supposed to be when she was with him. Images of the ballroom flashed through her mind, of dancing with him, and of him taking care of her, consoling her, when Naruto wasn't there. Naruto was her rock, but Sasuke was her mirror reflection. He was her complete opposite but her exact match. At least, in that moment, it felt like it.

vvv

Naruto walked into the Metro-Leaf, hands in his pockets, and his walk really a swagger. It was nearly empty at this time of night. Most of the guests were up in their rooms or enjoying the nightlife that Konoha had to offer. Naruto snorted at the idea—there were only a few fun things to do in the city, and two of them only those of Itachi had privilege to. He grinned.

Choji was in the lobby, so Naruto made a beeline for him. They were old friends from back in high school, and Choji usually fixed Naruto up with some good food. The idea of delicious ramen made Naruto's stomach grumble, and he winced and put his hand over his tummy. He really needed food.

"Choji!" Naruto shouted, bounding over. His earlier woes were forgotten—work (and food) was exactly what he needed. Choji looked up and smiled.

"Naruto, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at home with Sakura?" the plump chef asked, sipping at his drink. Naruto shrugged. Everyone had been at the funeral that day, and was trying to get over it. Tenten had been everyone's friend. Choji should know that Naruto would drown himself in work if he wasn't drowning himself in either food or Sakura. Naruto winced again at the thought of food.

"Working," he muttered. "I haven't even had dinner yet. We didn't stay for the reception." Choji nodded understandingly and stood up with a huff.

"What did you have in mind to eat today, my bottomless pit of a friend?"

Naruto grinned widely as he followed Choji into the kitchen. "Ramen!"

Choji chuckled. "Of course."

As Choji began fixing the ramen, Naruto sat on a stool and took out his cell phone again. He could not believe that Sakura had turned off her phone when she knew he'd be worried. There was still the house phone, of course, but it was just easier to reach her when she had her cell. Having to call the landline had nearly given him heart palpitations. If she hadn't answered, he'd have gone over there and torn the place apart looking for her.

He felt bad for leaving her, but when Itachi called there was no denying him. The man was not someone you said no to. The last person to refuse Itachi's call had not lasted another month. Naruto snorted—stupid amateur.

Choji put a steaming bowl of ramen in front of him, and he dug in happily. His stomach grumbled in appreciation, then quieted. Yum. Ramen was his salvation. As he ate, his chest twitched guiltily. Sakura was probably eating alone tonight. He saw in his mind's eye Sakura sitting in the kitchen, eating at the table, a sad look to her face. His plate was across from her, the home-cooked meal she'd slaved over slowly growing cold. She poked at her food, pushed it away, and went into the bedroom to cry her eyes out.

And then Naruto saw that mysterious man from the ball in his place, eating with Sakura, laughing with her. She was smiling. Naruto clenched his fist around his chopsticks and they snapped in half. The noise brought him back and he stared down in surprise at his now-broken utensils. Choji glanced over before tossing him a new set. Naruto caught them swiftly and set them down next to the bowl.

He pushed it away. If Sakura was going to be miserable because of him, then he deserved to be miserable, too.

vvv

Sakura closed her book slowly and leaned further into the curve of Sasuke's arm. She'd been reading aloud from one of her favorite novels as a source of entertainment for them both. And Sasuke had been listening quite intently, she was pleasantly surprised to notice. He had played with her hair while she read, but had asked questions about the plot, the characters, and their motives. It pleased her greatly.

"That can't possibly be the end," Sasuke said bluntly, in his usual monotonous voice. Sakura shrugged and tried to hide her smile.

"You'll have to wait and find out the rest of it sometime later." She stood up reluctantly, placing the book on the table and stretching. "Hungry?"

As she walked into the kitchen, Sakura thought how strange it was to feel so comfortable around someone she'd been afraid of barely more than a week before. There she was, curling up on the couch and reading a book with the man who probably would shoot her if his boss gave the order to. She pushed the thought from her mind and got out some ingredients for some sandwiches. She popped the bread in the toaster and pushed the lever down, waiting.

She wondered vaguely if Sasuke like sandwiches, then decided that of course he did, because everyone enjoyed a good sandwich. Glancing irritably at the toaster, Sakura wondered what her boyfriend was up to right now. If he was out looking for Sasuke like she'd assumed, then there was definitely danger on the horizon. And since Sasuke was currently held up in her living room with a sandwich being made for him, the outcomes weren't looking good.

At any moment, one of Itachi's men or even Kakashi's men could come knocking on the door and find Sasuke sitting on the couch. The consequences were immense, she knew. If it was Kakashi, he would immediately arrest Sasuke (who would most likely put up a fight) and take him down to the ANBU station. Then she would be brought in for harboring a wanted fugitive—by this time, she figured, there would be a warrant out for Sasuke's arrest in the missing boy case. She would be put through harsh questioning if it were anyone by Kakashi interrogating her (and she doubted Kakashi would be the one), and Naruto would have to come bail her out. And then he would find out that Sasuke had been at her house, had been dancing with her at the ball, had held her hand and consoled her.

And if Naruto or any of Itachi's men found him…

She knew what would happen if Naruto came through the door. He would reach for his gun and shoot first, ask questions later. And Sasuke would fight back. One of them would end up seriously wounded or dead. If Jiraiya or Sai or Asuma or anyone else came in, they would apprehend Sasuke and take him to Itachi to be finished off, because Itachi would want to be the one to end it all. And one of them would come back for her. Or, they might tell her to stay (and have someone babysit her) until Naruto came home and dealt with her. Naruto would feel so betrayed, he would be so angry. Angry enough to hurt her.

The toast popped out of the toaster, and she jumped. Just as she was taking them out, Sasuke was beside her, and put his hand on her waist. She started in surprise, then turned around and smiled happily at him.

"Hi," she said, and he smiled a little at her in answer. "Fixing you a sandwich." He nodded.

She continued making the sandwich—turkey, by the way—and put it on a plate to hand to him. He nodded in thanks and sat down at the table to eat. She made her sandwich and sat across from him. It felt sort of homely and normal, something she would usually do with Naruto. And it was. If this had been any other night, she would be sitting at the table with her longtime boyfriend, eating Chinese or a steak or ramen. She felt a twinge of uneasiness.

"Good sandwich," Sasuke said between bites. Sakura smiled in appreciation of his compliment. She tried.

Then she heard a noise at her front door. She froze with the sandwich halfway to her mouth, and slowly put it back down. Her worst nightmare was coming true. Someone was here, and she was scared. Sasuke had heard the noise, too. He quickly stood up from the table and rushed to the bathroom, tossing his sandwich and plate into the trash can on the way. She knew he was getting his clothes, so she hurried to the front door.

Before peeping through the peephole, Sakura glanced to make sure Sasuke was not in plain sight. She looked, and saw a familiar blond head fumbling with something in his hands. She blanched—Naruto was home!

"Sasuke!" she hissed, moving away from the door as quickly and quietly as possible and to the bathroom. "Get out! He's here! Hurry, please!"

Sakura looked up at him imploringly, and he nodded. He had his clothes in his hands, even the Ichiraku t-shirt, and he leaned down and kissed her surprisingly. She kissed him back more passionately than intended, and pushed him to the back door. But then another thought crossed her mind, and she hurried in front of him to make sure no one was back there. After looking through the curtains, she saw no sign of anyone and quickly shoved him outside just as she heard the key in the lock. She shut and locked the back door, scanned the kitchen to make sure no sign of Sasuke was left, then grabbed her sandwich, drink, and MP3 player and hurried back into the den. She shoved her headphones in, put her plate and drink on the coffee table, and picked up her book. A clap of thunder sounded.

She heard Naruto cuss, and breathed a sigh of relief. Thank Kami that Naruto could never remember what key was which on his keychain. She tried to relax herself, to look calm and normal when he walked in the door.

Which he did, finally, not a few seconds later. He was slightly soaked from the storm outside, and Sakura felt a little guilty for shoving Sasuke out the door without a coat or umbrella or something. Naruto shook his hair when he walked inside, shrugged out of his windbreaker, and tossed his keys on the table beside the door. She pretended to be absorbed in her book.

He stood in front of the door rather awkwardly, fidgeting from foot to foot.

"Hi," he said quietly.

"Hey," she replied. She paused. "Why are you home?"

"I, uh, well, I kind of felt bad that I left you alone…and uhm…"

Sakura looked back down at her book, turning the page and pretending to see the blurring words on the page. She turned her volume down on her MP3 player, though, to hear if he made any movement. She heard him shuffle his feet and take a few steps over to the couch. He was standing beside it—she could see it out of the corner of her eye.

She almost didn't want him to sit near her, much less be home. She was still in utter shock from having…him over for the night—she did not want to even think his name with Naruto in the room—and the shock of what she'd done. Her chest tightened at the memories of Sasuke's hands wandering over her body, his kisses on her neck. She winced.

Naruto shuffled a little closer to the couch, nearly touching it with his legs now. Sakura stared up at him, her expression one of bafflement and fright. He had not been this close to her in over a week, not since he'd been in her face at the ball. Naruto's angry words echoed in her head as he looked down at her—_"It's all your fault, Sakura. You did this…Tenten had to run off and try to find your sorry head…all your fault…"_

With a heavy weight suddenly settling on her shoulders, Sakura closed her book and pulled her knees up to her chest. The recollection of his shouts hit her hard in the chest, like a bullet that went straight to her soul. And with him standing so close…the reminders were everywhere. She did not want to look at him for fear she would see the wild-eyed rage that rarely came over him.

Sakura shook her pink hair out of her face, stood, and, with arms wrapped around her torso, walked into the bedroom. She left the door open a little bit and fell onto the bed to curl up in a ball. The tears were coming and the dams she usually put up to block them were crumbling under the pressure. She blinked furiously to fight them away but it was no use; the salty drops of water dribbled over her eyelids and down off her chin to soak into the covers.

Naruto walked into the room then, having taken off his shoes and felt properly terrible, but Sakura did not notice him. She stayed in her position on the bed until she felt someone sit down on the other side. The bed sank a little with the weight.

"Hey," Naruto said quietly. Despite her instincts' protestations and her conscience-stricken heart Sakura looked up into those deep blue eyes she knew and loved so much.

The man's face was drawn and concerned, his brow creased and his mouth tugged down at the corners. His eyes were wide and sad as they looked imploringly into hers. She could not tear away from him now. All her momentary fears and worries melted away under his warm gaze and she automatically scooted closer to him. He was still wearing his black pants and black button down. His outfit drew her closer for a reason she could not put her finger on right at that moment, for it was too preoccupied running up his arm.

This was what they did. Whenever she and Naruto had a big fight, they made it up to each other with a night alone. Usually, this involved takeout or a nice dinner, one of their favorite old movies, and some time spent with the pillows. It was usually pretty sweet and very romantic. Tonight, however, it felt a little different. Yes, the romance was still there, but for Sakura it was mixed with guilt and a strange need she had never felt before. She shifted closer to him until their knees were touching.

She continued to stare into his eyes, feeling a little insecure but confident all the same. Her hand shook as it lay on top of his and he reached up with his other to touch her gently on the face. His lips parted just slightly, and he took a deep breath.

"Sakura," he said softly, almost just a breathy whisper. She grabbed onto his hand tightly while leaning closer into him. "Sakura, I'm so sorry."

Sakura pushed back the immediate feeling of guilt. In all honestly she should be the one apologizing to Naruto—he had only been doing his job, and had a right to be angry with her. But now was not the time to dwell on that.

"It is okay, Naruto," she said, pressing her forehead against his.

He smiled in relief. "I love you, Sakura."

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Sakura found she could not answer back the way she normally would. Instead, she pressed against him and kissed him with the lips that still tingled with the reminder of Sasuke. She kissed him harder, pushing him down on the bed and unbuttoning his shirt. She was going to forget about Sasuke for that moment. Right now, it was just her and Naruto. Naruto kissed her back and put his arms around her waist.

Another flash of Sasuke went through her mind, and she shut her eyes against the inevitable visions. She pushed the image of the black-haired man into the back of her mind, locked him in a drawer, and let her body feel what it wanted to feel.

vvv

Sasuke ran across Sakura's back yard and into the little wooded area behind it. It was still raining torrents outside and he shivered—he was still bare-chested. He pulled the Ichiraku shirt out from under his arm and tugged it over his head. The shirt was soaked, too, but it was better than dealing with cold rain on his bare skin. He pulled his shirt over the ramen tee that Sakura had given him and started walking again.

Back at the house, Sakura was with Naruto again. He had come home extremely early, probably to apologize. Sasuke snorted—Sakura deserved more than an apology. As this thought crossed his mind he winced, for he had not realized that Naruto was most likely going to apologize with more than just word. His blood burned in an emotion he was not used to feeling. It took him a moment to realize that he was feeling jealous of his old comrade. He frowned at the idea.

Ever since childhood he had been better at Naruto in nearly everything. He had certainly attracted more girls than the exuberant man! That was not the only area in which he flourished, however. He'd always been excellent in academics and sports; had the best equipment, clothes, and technology; been the best under Kakashi's tutelage. Hell, he was a better driver, even! And yet Naruto still ended up with everything that Sasuke yearned for on some level.

Yes, life as the lackey of a mob lord was incredibly exciting and risky, just the way Sasuke had always seen his life. He'd been born into the mob, it was in his blood. An escape from it was hardly possible, especially with his older brother heading the family.

Thunder clapped above Sasuke's head, and he flinched a little. He wondered if Sakura had done the same. Then he remembered that Naruto was there and was probably consoling the pink-haired woman. He frowned.

Sasuke thoroughly enjoyed his life. He loved the adventure and the risk and the rush it gave him. Hell, he was in enemy territory, making out with the girlfriend of a rival boss's main enforcer. If he did not enjoy danger, why would he be doing any of this? He snorted. Orochimaru had gotten hold of him at just the right time. If the mob lord had not given him the offer before his training with Kakashi was complete, then Sasuke would have ended up either under the rule of his brother (or the head of the Uchiha mob himself after his gleeful assassination of Itachi) or a member of ANBU. He chuckled darkly at the idea.

Lightning streaked across the sky as he left the little wooded area and entered the small farm where he had parked his car. He went over to the sleek vehicle and got inside, thankful to be out of the rain and cold. He cranked it up, relishing the quiet purr the engine made and cranked up the heat. He looked down at his shirt, and frowned. He would burn it later.

He looked back at the direction he had come from. Sakura was back that way. Again, jealously burned in his veins as he thought of Naruto being with Sakura. There was a part of him that longed for what Naruto had—a home.

Yes, Orochimaru provided him with a ample housing (and a pretty paycheck), but it just was not the same as owning a home and living in it with someone you cared about. The last time Sasuke could remember ever feeling welcome in a home was when he lived with his parents in the mansion. And even then, his father paid more attention to Itachi than to his youngest son, leaving Sasuke with only his mother for comfort. Itachi had been a good big brother back then. But everything changed once he murdered the entire family. Sasuke clenched his fists at the memories.

Naruto had a cute little home with a fence, a yard, and a beautiful girlfriend to go with it. He had someone to spend time with and to love. There would always be a person for Naruto to come home to and to hold onto when situations grew dire. Sasuke bit down on the inside of his mouth to keep from making any noise. Naruto…that bastard. The no good, parentless kid who had had absolutely no potential at all in his childhood was now one of the most feared and respected and well-liked men in Konohagakure. A real rags-to-riches story, wasn't he?

Sasuke put the car in drive once he felt dry and warm enough to go somewhere. He did not know where he was going to go, but he knew he had to be careful. Itachi's men were out looking for him relentlessly. And if Itachi had his way, Sasuke would be either dead before dawn, or sitting tied at his brothers feet as the sun rose above the horizon.

The car drove out onto the back road and he kept his speed down lest he attract attention to himself. It was getting close to half-past midnight, a fact which shocked him. Had he been at Sakura's house for that long? He grinned to himself at the idea of spending the entire night with the beautiful woman. Oh what fun they could have together.

He turned onto the highway, deciding that being on a busy and crowded road would be his best defense against any possible drive-by shootings. He ran a hand through his messy black hair and grimaced at the idea of going back to that ratty old motel. Then an idea ran through his mind—he would stay at a place much classier and a lot closer to home. Sure, he could always sneak into Itachi's mansion and sleep there, but that would be tempting fate just a little too much.

The Metro-Leaf was just up the road. Kiba would have no choice but to accept him as a guest, especially since he planned on getting one of the more expensive suites on the top floor. Kiba was a money-hungry man who never turned down a customer who was prepared to pay in advance, especially if it was at a very hefty price.

Sasuke turned into the Metro-Leaf parking lot and grabbed his bag out of his trunk. He had kept his belongings in the car for fear that the motel would ultimately steal them. He walked inside through the revolving doors and strode up to the counter. The man manning the counter looked up and smiled that generic, customer-service smile he was most likely required to have. Sasuke set his bag at his feet and nodded back.

"How may I help you?" the man asked, clicking a few keys on the computer.

"I want to rent out the upper-level suite please, the most expensive you have," Sasuke replied, feeling a little good about being able to afford an expensive hotel room. Even as a child from a well-to-do family, Sasuke's father had not encouraged his children and family members to spend money at a whim. It felt great to defy his father in even such a simple way.

The counter-man looked surprised but gave Sasuke the room anyway. He asked for the credit card, which Sasuke handed over without hesitation. A smirk played on his lips as the man looked at the name and started before typing it into the machine. He handed Sasuke a key and the card, and Sasuke took his bags to the elevator.

Once in the elevator alone, Sasuke took out his cell phone and dialed Kabuto. The older man answered rather sleepily.

"Kabuto," Sasuke said by way of greeting and leading up to the task he had at hand for the loyal of Orochimaru. "I need you to move the boy. He's at my original room, so please bring him to the Metro-Leaf through the back entrance. Take him up the fire escape to the uppermost floor. I'll be waiting."

"The Metro-Leaf?" Kabuto repeated in disbelief. "You're insane. Orochimaru-sama would never allow me to do something like that."

"He trusts me," Sasuke shot back. "So just do it. I don't have time to argue with you when I know I'm going to win. Have him here before sunrise."

Sasuke hung up the phone just as the elevator reached his floor and he opened the door to his new lavish apartment-style hotel room. As he collapsed onto the couch and put his hands behind his head to wait, he decided that this was going to be easy to get used to.

* * *

**ooh Sakura so close to gettin caught by Naruto! Badbadbad girl! And Sasuke, you're pushing it by being in the metro-leaf! **

**Look for more close-calls, drama, and fun things to happen for Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke, and not necessarily in that order :)**

**Review por favorrr!  
Love much!**

**Nicola 333**


End file.
